On the eve of former Havenite Admiral Amos Parnell's arrival on Earth to testify against the excesses and crimes of the Committee of Public Safety and the Office of State Security, Helen Zilwicki, daughter of Captain Anton Zilwicki of the Royal Manticoran Navy, finds herself in the midst of an underground fight between StateSec agents, anti-slavery terrorists, mercenaries and an unscrupulous supercorporation. Her father and her martial arts mentor Robert Tye try their best to save her, and find an unexpected ally in Havenite secret agent Victor Cachat.