The Wolf II colony's only sun, the flare star, has been dormant for so long that when it reawakens in one fiery eruption, a destructive radiation bombards the planet. As supply ship Ceti Flad approaches the flare, Jason Roarke witnesses the explosive scene, but he's not a trusted member of the crew, and no one believes his account of the event. In every effort to save the ship, he defies orders and prepares a plan to evacuate the colony's survivors. But Young Magda on the colony's station isn't interested in rescue � she wants revenge.