Hope Cunningham is the last surviving Human in Post-apocalyptic Auckland. The daughter of trapped time travelers, she traveled with her parents to the year 3071 only to find that Humanity had destroyed itself. Refusing to commit suicide with her parents, Hope has spent eleven years on her own as a game hunter, refusing to go past the Seawall that separates the coastal forest from the actual city. When she finally does to escape a life of solitude, her world changes completely.

Sadrak Asza is one of the last surviving Posthumans in the galaxy. For 798 years he has served as a palanquin, a root personality of a body that holds the minds of multiple people. At one point, the co-inhabitants of his head had been some of the most important intellects of the Posthuman race. Now, thanks to mental degradation, they are gibbering madmen haunting Sadrak for the rest of eternity. After many futile attempts to end his life, Sadrak has now become slightly crazed and believes that contact with the rest of the survivors of the Posthuman race won't cure his affliction. He now resides on Tenos, a rogue gas giant that he believes symbolizes what he wants most: to be alone. But Sadrak isn't alone on Tenos.