Dante Carloman is the king of the humans on the planet of Cocytus. That title has earned him leadership of a small colony clinging to life on a bleak world and a death sentence by the dominant species in the galaxy: the Ipis. In this desolate place, Dante uncovers unnerving clues linking humans to the Ipis dating back to Earth's early civilizations.
Captured and sent to a world designed for the slow tortured death of the Ipis' enemies, Dante discovers astounding truths about mankind's role in the galaxy. With his wits as his only weapon, he faces an enemy who has not known defeat for a millennium. Failure will not only doom everyone he loves but guarantee humanity's annihilation.