Dr. Gina Delgado had a perfect life - friends, money and a great career - until it all came crashing down. Now, faced with the possibility of a billion dollar lawsuit or even jail time, she has no choice but to accept exile on the distant mining planet of Xuizo.To make matters worse she has to work for her nemesis, Samuel Greigsen, the very man who wrecked her career, on a mysterious research project. But Griegsen has his own agenda and is willing to go to any lengths to carry it out. On a planet covered it toxic pollution and threatened by both plague and pirates, Griegsen's plot may pose the biggest peril of them all.