Cale Alexandros was five years old when his family's starship was attacked en route to Morningstar, the lone outpost of civilization on a savage planet. Cale escaped, only to be picked from the wreckage by nomads. He endured life as a slave until a sympathetic trader freed him, but Cale never forgot what happened in the desert wastes-in a strange, ancient temple, when he found a book with strange metal pages and cryptic writings. When he finally reaches Morningstar, he realizes the true importance of his discovery. The book is a key to understanding alien languages. But it also holds a secret that some people will do anything to control.