Richard Cheney must rescue his sister from a parasitic collective consciousness that has absorbed her into its being.

Following in their parents' footsteps, Richard and Mara Cheney manage a hospice for telepathic Dur-ill on the planet Iwagen, aiming to foster a new generation of telepaths. Their efforts are violently interrupted by the Mentad, a mind-being that assimilates Dur-ill telepaths into its growing collective consciousness. When the Mentad raids the hospice and abducts his sister, Richard is forced to ally with the Terran Intelligence Agency, an organization that previously targeted his family, to confront the Mentad and free the captives.

The premise sets up a direct conflict between individual consciousness and a parasitic collective, with the protagonist driven by a personal rescue mission. The narrative framework suggests a focus on action and suspense as Richard navigates his alliance with a potentially hostile organization to confront the alien Mentad. The story's continuation from Mindflight implies an established world and character dynamics that will be further explored. The conflict between the Cheneys' goal of fostering new telepaths and the Mentad's agenda of assimilation forms the central tension.