An alien spaceship crash lands in the middle of a snowy evening in Dóchas. As DI Pontius Smith has drawn the short straw and is on call, he finds himself having to investigate and take the drunken driver of the craft into custody. Throughout the long evening Pontius will find out that Dóchas is well known throughout the galaxy, but as he struggles to get the truth out of the alien visitor he is beset by biomechanical implants, an alien who likes to play games and an over zealous Provost Marshall. Meanwhile something malevolent is stirring in the hold of the spaceship and wants to go for a stroll...