In search of information about who actually attacked the Shontin and K'da reconnaissance ship, Jack Morgan, a former child adventurer who broke with his criminal past, is recruited into space mercenaries. Together with his symbiont friend the dragon Draycos, following the trail of mysterious criminals, the young hero finds himself in the center of a “showdown” between two competing groups engaged in military operations.

Meanwhile, the deadline for the arrival of two intelligent alien races in the Orion Arm is inexorable is approaching, and their fate now depends entirely on the ingenuity and speed of action of a man and his friend the dragon.