Marooned among those they came to study, Kira Waterborn's people hide in the desert until they can return to the stars. Kira strives to dream like her father and understand her people's larger culture, while stuck in a stone-age existence. When Kira's village is overrun by humans, she and her sister must flee into a hostile world of rugged deserts, unexpected enemies, and betrayal. As Kira struggles with who to trust, she takes matters into her own hands to bring about changes needed to rescue her people. As allegiances shift, those who Kira once saw as her enemy may turn out to be her people's salvation.