This is a story of a girl named Alex, who is raised on a planet called Heaven, but it was more like hell. Its a hard life, and when she gets the chance to find a husband, she marries a space trader who turns out to be anything but kind. She learns how to survive by becoming valuable to the crew of the ship they travel in by becoming a good cook. Because she is unhappy, she eats and gains a lot of weight. When her husband has something terrible done to her and has her hair dyed a bright red, she is called Big Red. When the trade ship they are in is taken over by the crew, she accidently becomes a hero, and her husband takes over the ship. When trade doesnt go well, they end up on a new planet called Paradise where they open a bar and restaurant. Big Reds life is hard and unhappy, but when the people arrive, things change.