Several centuries ago, the Idiran War ended, the largest conflict in the history of the galaxy. But only now will the light of the New Gemini - the stars destroyed in the last and most brutal battle of the Idirans with the Culture - reach the Masak orbital, where Mahray Ziller, the galaxy-famous composer and dissident Chelgrian, lives, and where his new symphony is about to premiere, dedicated to the Battle of the New Twins and the entire Idiran War. But the Chelgrians (the only highly developed civilization descended from predators) believe that it is the Culture that is to blame for the civil war that recently raged on the planet Chel, and send a special emissary to Mahray Ziller on Masak. Major Quilan is called upon to convince Ziller to return to Chel - but in reality his mission is much larger... A classic novel from the cycle about Culture - in a new translation!