In the Praulac Nebula, humanity's attempt to negotiate coexistence with the insectoid Clagnor has collapsed into all-out war. Rawl Mastesen is not a soldier by choice — he is a prison convict with a proposition: fight the Clagnor for one year and his criminal record disappears. If he survives the year, he walks free. There is apparently also the option, for those who find this arrangement appealing, of signing up for a second year at doubled pay. The war itself is fought against an enemy that operates collectively and regards negotiation as a prior era's failed experiment.