Despite the development of a faster-than-light drive, Earth's space program has been in the doldrums for centuries, as has the Earth itself. Hyperspace being impossible to navigate without beacons at which to aim, there is no alternative but to wait for vessels sent out at sub-light speed decades previously to find somewhere worth going. Unfortunately, when one finally does, it doesn't take long for political conflicts to materialize over the exploitation of the few seemingly-Earthlike world in question. When an entire survey team dies, the problems intensify. Lee Caretta is the man most likely to solve the problem, if his conflict-ridden employers will let him, if he can keep his tendency to suffer unexplained blackouts under control, and if the world really is sufficiently Earthlike not to be deadly to all who investigate. And then the humans begin dying