Bill Wayden, Secretary to Operations Central Administrator Beal, is arrested and hauled before a corrupt court, where he is falsely convicted of assaulting two of his superiors and kidnapping Beal. He is convicted and sentenced to 18 years on a Penal World. In his panic, he escapes and flees to the only place on Central that is safe: The Holy Temple of Thought. He is befriended by the Dalph, the High Priest, whereupon, matters only grow worse as he struggles to find Beal and prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Assistant Administrator Pharsey Calooh has been confiscating powerful living rocks called Items which act as guardians of the Universal fabric, for an insane bid for wealth and power, putting the Galaxy at terminal risk. This puts him at odds with Timmorey, the guardian of the teleportation way station on Earth, who refuses to surrender the Item he has under protective custody. Bill's and Timmorey's paths cross as they seek solutions for their problems.
