The human race has split into two species. One of them created the other - normal people experimented with forced evolution and produced the Lehrs - a new race of supermen, but more pacifistic and contemplative. The Lehrs fled the turbulent worlds of homo sapiens and created their own quiet planetary colonies. This became increasingly inexplicable as reports surfaced of robberies and violent interplanetary marauders who were the heirs of the Lehrs. The existence of the barbarian lehrs was a contradiction that had to be resolved.