All Iris Jenson wants is a safe place to raise her autistic six-year-old son, Thomas. She thinks she's found it on Haven, an Earther colony located within the Kalquorian Empire's borders. Making a fresh start under the watchful eyes of Earth's former enemy has its challenges, but it also possesses opportunities to live free of fear, something Iris hasn't had in a long time. Love is an added surprise when Haven's governor Dramok Ospar and his clanmates Nobek Jol and Imdiko Rivek enter the young widow and child's lives. Trouble is brewing on Haven Colony, however. Insurgent Earthers want to free themselves of Kalquor's influence, and Kalquor itself is on the brink of a revolt, led by the shadowy figure known only as the Basma. Then a violent ghost from Iris' past reappears and threatens to snatch Thomas from those who love him. Ospar's clan races against time to save Haven from a bloody rebellion and an innocent child from the grasp of a monster. (m/f/m/m).