Elaine is still far from home; far from Remus. Her friends and family don't even know if she's alive.

However, not all is lost. Elaine has fallen in with some elves, who are willing to let her tag along while they head in the general direction of her home. They're off hunting shimagu, deadly bodyjackers that steal away all autonomy.

Elaine finds a small measure of comfort in Serondes's arms, experimenting with her first relationship. Experimenting with granting others Immortality.

As Elaine travels with the elves, she needs to wrestle with numerous questions: Is the relationship with Serondes going anywhere? What's in the egg that she's keeping safe and warm? Can the elves be trusted? What happened with the civil war in Remus? And should the shimagu be treated like people, or like parasites?