Dr Cherijo and her husband have escaped from the Hsktskt slave traders, to live underground with a group of alien-human half-breeds and forced to play the deadly game of shockball.
After being revealed as a genetically-enhanced clone--legally no more than a lab animal--Dr. Cherijo Grey Veil Torin takes refuge with her late husband's warrior clan until suspicious accidents place everyone at risk.
Dr. Cherijo's husband, Duncan Reever, has finally located her on the ice-covered world of Akkabarr, but he will discover that his greatest obstacle to reuniting with Cherijo may be Cherijo herself --- from back cover.