During a secondment while their ship - Cassini - is repaired, Kryllyan and Sentra must deal with ten mutineers from a ship posted to colonial duty. Before these mutineers can be collected for what seems likely to be a show trial, several hints from various quarters prompt Kryllyan to ask some questions about the colony and the mutiny.
Sent to the locale by a sympathetic admiral, Captain D'Lanta orders the Cassini into orbit of the colony and sends Kryllyan and Sentra to investigate. All is not well: children are missing, the governor is guarded by the ominous cavalry, and every move could be a fatal mistake.
The colony of Dorvak harbours a secret: the children are not missing at all. Instead they are victims of the cavalry. To save the children already in the cavalry's grasp, and prevent the taking of countless others, Kryllyan and Sentra must don the guise of everything they hate and walk into the lion's den.