Synopsis: The human race colonised the stars, tamed its black holes, eradicated the threat of transmutation of matter, and now, almost without exception, lives in a state of freedom, peace, and true equality. But all is not well. The universe is past its sell-by date. Time has progressed long beyond the point that the natural process of proton decay, the ultimate threat to the continued existence of humanity, was due to destroy everything. Miraculously, billions of years previously, human scientists discovered a process that could temporarily halt the ravages of this universe killer. But they were only in time to save the Four Galaxies. All other matter outside the four protected zones has, over those billions of intervening years, literally fallen apart to nothingness. Nobody is sure when this state of temporary stasis is due to fail, but those few that truly understand it are sure that we're all living on borrowed time. Minaxee is our great hope. An exceptional individual with a talent unlikely to be repeated, working at a secret location, she is known to have almost perfected a technique to halt proton decay forever. If she succeeds, the Four Galaxies will be maintained indefinitely! However, this causes an ethical problem for the Continuationists, a radical splinter group of the Order of the Wheel. The Continuationists believe that the universe should run its course and die. They believe that change is the central nature of life, and that death is a natural consequence of change. This puts the Continuationists in conflict with the majority of the Order of the Wheel, otherwise known as the Interventionists, who feel that if the universe is saved by human science then that is as much the natural course of things as allowing it to die. The Continuationists being a minority, but believing themselves to be agents of karma, decide to act unilaterally. Minaxee becomes a target. They send task forces to find and destroy her and her work by any means. In response the Interventionists send out Sof, a young monk and, surprisingly, the person they consider best equipped to thwart the Continuationists. Her mission is to find and protect Minaxee, and enable her to finish her work. A desperate race develops which takes Sof, and the small but loyal group of companions that are drawn to her, across the Four Galaxies and beyond, and through many challenges and encounters. She, tortured by self-doubt, is constantly faced with ethical dilemmas. Not least, the teachings clearly forbid aggression, but can she avoid killing if she is to prevent the ultimate destruction of the universe?