Starship Human Dawn is only the second deep space starship to evacuate residents from a dying Earth in search of a new world in which to live. The first, Destiny went missing generations earlier. 5000 humans are in suspended animation while the vessel travels through post-light speed infinity drive under control of computers. Commander Sophie Copland wakes up in deep space because of an emergency drop to sub-light speed.

A human woman, Kyla Adair has caused this. She is escaping from an alien world of human type beings called benefactors who, it is later found out, cloned her from a long dead member of the Destiny crew. After no senior officers are found alive, two other junior crewmembers, Penny who has the ability to 'feel' the truth, and Jack, an electronics expert are awoken. The three find that the starship is occupied by human terrorists who have killed the senior officers and are torturing two benefactors, Daz and Foxin. They rescue the pair and an attempt to gain control of the vessel is only partially successful. However, they manage to blast the three self-life-supporting drones containing the suspended animation humans away from the Human Dawn before it is destroyed and escape in the Dawn Rescue 'lifeboat' .

Daz and Foxin prove loyal but will other benefactors help the humans who they regard as inferior to themselves? Sophie finds the computers have the ability to mutate into advanced forms. Are these computers really the new life species that supersede the 'inferior' humans and benefactors?

Are any planets that support intelligent life safe?

Only Sophie and her friends can keep the humans and benefactors from becoming extinct in a hostile cosmos.