Mother, Jaric and Kyle, along with their newfound friends, continue their search for other survivors of the human race who may have escaped the T'kaan genocide. They travel to the farthest known worlds of the universe, but fail to discover the first solid clue that anyone else survived. After many long months of fruitless searching, their hopes again begin to fade. But there is conflict even within Mother's family. Kyle and Jaric bitterly resent Becky's clone. They cruelly taunt her and treat her like an inferior being - as if she is something less than human. Their heartless treatment creates division among the others who seek to teach and nurture the newborn clone as they also try to help the boys to accept her. Minstrel leads them to a world famous for its vast collection of data gathered from every corner of the known universe. Perhaps here among the greatest store of data ever gathered by any alien race, they might discover something that will show them that other humans survived. But even as they query the vast database, they quickly find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception and danger - all orchestrated by the mysterious and powerful Paum. And when their acts of subterfuge fail, the Paum's agents boldly attack! Mother finally comes face-to-face with the Paum - a life-altering encounter that shakes the foundation of her existence as an AI. The mighty Paum seeks to seduce Mother and even make her forget her own children. As the final battle reaches a climax, both her enemies and the terrible truth she has discovered threaten to destroy them all.