Settled in safety on the Dushau's secret planet of refuge, among other refugee Dushau, "Lady" Zavaronne, the first human to link minds with the Dushau and survive, must attend the Dushau Jindigar's wedding, but the local Hive Mind creatures attack the Dushau colony.

The long-lived Dushau are going into Renewal, the reproductive phase, and losing the ability to psychically shield the colony from the Hive natives. When the offworlder colony is over run by the Hive, Zavaronne and Jindigar must construct a new Hive mentality this world can accept before they all go insane.