The scavengers circle around, waiting. The final days of the Gzilt civilization are approaching. An ancient people organized along military lines and yet remarkably peaceful, the Gzilt helped found the Culture ten thousand years ago, nearly becoming one of its monument societies, deciding not to join only at the last moment. Centuries later, they have made a collective decision to follow the beaten path of millions of other civilizations - they march towards Sublimation, rising to a new infinitely richer and more complex existence. However, in the process of preparations, the high command of the Gzilt regiment is destroyed. Lieutenant Commander (Reserve) Vir Cossont appears to have been involved in the incident and is now wanted - dead or alive. With the help of an ancient, restored android and a suspicious Culture avatar, Cossont must complete her final mission assigned to her by High Command. She must find the oldest man in the Culture, a man over nine thousand years old who alone has any idea of what really happened at the source. It appears that the last days of the Gzilt civilization will prove to be the most dangerous.