Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential
is determined by its location in space - from superintelligent entities in the
Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple crea
tures and technology can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned s
pace into these 'zones of thought', but when the warring Straumli realm use an a
ncient Transcendent artefact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome po
wer that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial in
telligence. Fleeing the threat, a family of scientists, including two children,
are taken captive by the Tines - an alien race with a harsh medieval culture - a
nd used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle.
