The Commonwealth is the society that humans have dreamed of for centuries—there is no poverty, no exploitation, no scarcity. Less technological aliens are protected by ironclad rules, and the universe is at peace.
Or at least that’s how it appears. Mutineer starship captain Tariq Leverett is convinced that Article One, the rule that protects less technological aliens, is harming the very people it was meant to protect, and seducing the Commonwealth into atrocities. He needs proof. He needs something to show the people of the Commonwealth.
For that, he needs to kidnap—or rescue—the convicted criminal Fah Enciso. But Fah, imprisoned for mass murder and undergoing a course of intensive therapy on space station Summerisle, isn't going to help anyone—not until she helps herself. Not until she uncovers the truth about her therapy and the truth about her crime. Not until she decides whom she can trust. Captain Tariq thinks that Fah can save the A-flat—aliens who speak in music, grow in gardens, and are doomed to death if the Commonwealth doesn’t step in. But Fah’s experiences have left her uncertain of everything, especially whether she’s going to kill again. How can she save a world?