When humans attack Iridos, killing most of the xenophobic unammi inhabitants, rebel cleric Alira learns she is a soul harvester, able to absorb the personalities and experiences of those who die in her presence. After the last pilot on Iridos is killed, Alira is the only one who can fly the remaining unammi ship to the nearest human colony world and warn her people, who live in hiding there. For the unammi, who are shapeshifters, looking human is easy. But Alira finds that acting human is far more difficult, especially when her harvests begin arguing in her head. To save her race, she must take the form of her enemy and hide the unammi survivors in a place only a lunatic would go.