Ianto Tobali's son, Jerian, is coming of age in a time of upheaval: Humans are infertile. Elf-Kind has begun to fill the spaces of the Spirit and Science Margas, and its intent is not peaceful coexistence. The artificial intelligence of the orbiting space ship called the Operator has awakened and stirs restlessly in her berth. A tortured man seeks revenge for a long-ago hurt, and his actions prod a greater darkness into motion. Architect Sam Stelle can only grimly face the results of his own unconscious mind as it re-weaves the fabric of reality. Beneath it all breathes an existence more vast and timeless than any of them can imagine and a chance at a new beginning for them all. But it will be up to Jerian, the son of a Firewall, to show the way--if he survives his own metamorphosis.