The interstellar portals, which were supposed to be the gates to the new future of mankind, in fact turn out to be a death trap for it. As soon as the Earth, Mars and other planets coped with the attack of an alien protomolecule, a revolution began in the worlds of the Belt, which has been brewing for decades. The radical group of asters that form the backbone of the Free Fleet have caused massive damage to the Earth and are now waging a pirate war against the planets of the solar system. Set out to conquer new worlds, the colonists become easy prey for them, and there are practically no well-armed and powerful ships capable of protecting them.

James Holden and his team know better than anyone about the strengths and weaknesses of the Free Fleet, and receive a seemingly impossible task - to reach Medina Station, located in the heart of the ring-gates. But here the true intention of the enemy is revealed - humanity turns out to be just a toy in the war of intergalactic powers ...