Nathan Pageant doesn't have much. He has his antique long-haul transport ship, a small but loyal crew, and he's free and independent of the powerful corporations taking control of deep space exploration. That's all he really needs when it comes down to it. Pageant and his crew find a frail young woman alone on a nearly barren rock in the middle of nowhere. They know something isn't quite right. Pageant brings her on board his ship, despite his better judgement, and everything goes a little haywire after that. Now pursued by a powerful corporation, hauling something more precious than all the credits in the universe, and amassing a crew of misfits with nowhere else to go, Pageant must solve the mystery surrounding this woman before the corps find him because the fate of the universe might just be at stake. This is not exactly what he wanted out of life, but trouble has a way of finding Pageant no matter how much he tries to hide from it. With a little luck and the help of his friends, Pageant might just survive.