Lan Agstaff joined the army to escape from the memory of a failed love affair. But on the way to his first posting in Neotra, the suspended animation chamber malfunctions-and instead of peaceful nothingness he dreams endlessly about his lost lover. By the time Lan's ship gets to Neotra tensions have reached breaking point, making all-out war virtually inevitable. Will Lan be consumed by the flashbacks of his ex-lover or can he recover from the torment of dreams?