The opening of portals, the so-called gates, entailed the massive colonization of new worlds. Thousands of people rushed in search of a better life. However, independent migrants had to face a powerful corporation licensed to explore unexplored territories. On the distant planet Ilos, a real war broke out, threatening to spread to the Earth itself. James Holden and the crew of his ship "Rocinante" are tasked with going to Ilos and trying to stop the bloodshed. But the more Holden reflects on what is happening, the more it seems to him that this mission is doomed to failure. Meanwhile, the dead man's voice informs him that the great civilization that once lived on this planet has disappeared. And that she was mercilessly destroyed...