Frank Compton, a professional intelligence officer who was fired from service for opposing the unscrupulous plans of his corrupt superiors, receives a private offer. The owners of the interstellar tunnel, which connected distant corners of the Universe, are alarmed by the increasing incidence of local conflicts between alien races. Compton is hired to find out who is behind these apparently unrelated incidents. During the investigation, Frank finds himself on the planet Modhra, a prestigious star resort famous for its corals. The influential people who vacation here behave very inappropriately, and the scout draws attention to the fact that the reasons for their behavior are connected with the local corals...