Kalpana "Kali" Ghiya is special. She's an Enhanced Human, stronger, faster, and more intuitive, but Kali is more than just EH. She's the reincarnation of an alien leader from a race who ascended to another plane millennia ago. Though bred to be a warrior, Kali prefers her 2-person freighter, pretending to be a regular human, and enjoying the freedom and solitude of deep space. But that serenity and secrecy is not going to last. While delivering supplies to a new colony in a remote sector of space, Kali's ship is attacked by a battleship, then boarded by alien soldiers. She learns of the Collective, a force manned by aliens from all over the galaxy-all unknown to humanity, and vice versa. The captain of the Collective ship senses a connection with Kali and believes she's the "Leader of the Race That Binds", spoken about in their prophecies. Kali has no idea what this means, other than an ancient enemy of the collective is coming, and they will leave no soul alive in their wake. Despite her desire to be left alone, Kali realizes it's up to her to make the difference between the destruction or salvation of her galaxy...and thousands more. But there's no guarantee she'll be able to survive what she must do to fulfill her karmic mission-relive the deaths of her many reincarnations in order to learn the truth about her destiny, and the destiny of the universe.