In the year 2189, a small group of hopeful colonists touch down on the planet Mirna. Fifteen year-old Reilly Landreth is the only womb-born child to survive the journey. The other six children were created in the ship's reproductive lab, along with the chickens, turkeys, goats, and dogs. The plan was to reunite with the crew that landed two years earlier. Instead, the new arrivals discover a barren encampment inhabited by strangely arranged skeletons. But the colonists are not alone. In the night, intelligent beings descend on leathery wings, threatening the colony's very existence. When his parents fail to return from a scientific expedition, Reilly steals an airscouter and flies off in search of them. His journey leads him to surprising new friends-and foes. These shifting relationships and inter species alliances determine who ultimately survives, and redefine the meaning of family.