The dream of progressor Ivar Trevelyan has come true! After deadly adventures on the edge of the interstellar Gap, he finally found himself in the Inferno! Or rather, to Peklo, a planet inhabited by cannibal nomads, whose underdeveloped civilization aroused the genuine interest of the Foundation for the Development of Alien Cultures. Very soon, Trevelyan is convinced that the planet not only fully lives up to its ominous name, but also carefully preserves the secrets of the ancient rulers of the Galaxy...