What is it like to awaken on an alien star ship with no memory of your identity or past, where even everyday tasks seem mysterious? Are you the sole survivor of a wrecked star ship, as they contend and why are so many species interested in you? Such is the situation for Case as he recovers from injuries and struggles to make sense of the unconnected memory flashes that plague him. Do they contain clues to his identity and the location of an Earth he vaguely remembers? Worse, are all these partial memories false or merely products of his damaged brain? Could he really have come from a colony lost in the early days of mankind's expansion as his caretaker companion contends? These and other questions are answered as he comes to term with his identity and faces a future beyond anything he ever imagined.