“Down into the ground.” Edmund Gundersen, after many years of absence, returns to the planet Belzagor, where he once worked. Now control over the planet has been returned to its indigenous inhabitants - the elephant-like nildors, and there are very few earthlings left here. Gundersen, tormented by remorse for the injuries inflicted on the nildor, intends to go with them to the Northern lands for the secret ritual of “rebirth”, renewing the spirit and body. None of the inhabitants of the Earth have ever done this, and Gundersen is in doubt whether his decision will lead to fatal consequences... “Time for change.” Kinnal Dariwal is a scion of the ruling dynasty, who, after his elder brother came to power, decided to flee the country. As a result of a series of adventures, he finds a new home, becomes a rich and respected man, but his well-established life breaks down one day when he meets a merchant from a distant legendary Earth. Tempting Kinnal with a new truth that undermines the existing system, the rebellious earthling puts him outlawed...