The struggle of two supercivilizations for dominance in the Universe has reached a dead end. Both rivals used all the military and intellectual potential at their disposal. And then one of the warring parties takes an unexpected and bold step - it invites five desperate earthlings to become allies. Not wanting to be obedient pawns in someone else's game and having adopted the incredible achievements of alien science and technology, Andrei Novikov and his friends force even the powerful Lords of the Cosmos to reckon with themselves. And for starters, they slightly change the course of earthly history...