Sally awakens to find that Diego had not exaggerated about what he had seen. They find themselves inside a control room managed by their own imaginations, but capable of almost anything, including a round trip to Leningrad in 1964. But the Szzzyyyxx had gotten there first, and they had done some damage.

Diego's strange illness grants him amazing insight to the nature of the planet and its purpose. Sally and Ian choose to risk joining him, but something neither of them could imagine is brewing under the surface.

While trying to care for Spotty, who has mysteriously vanished, Diego develops an unusual illness. In the midst of this, Jackie makes a critical discovery about the nature of the world they are on.

Following the path left by the missing Szzzyyyxx ships leads Sally's crew to an unexpected trap. Like the other ships, they turn into the event horizon, but within there find themselves in an unknown and mysterious world that seems too perfect.

The farther Sally and her crew get from the Szzzyyyxx Domain, the less sense everything begins to make. Communication channels are degrading and even the chatter on the radio begins to sound foreign. But when they arrive at the last known location of the missing ships, they find a conduit to something truly dark.

Sally makes sudden progress in campaigning for her new mission, but the actual trip proves to be yet more interesting. Their first stop at the Szzzyyyxx Domain is cut short by an apparent threat from the Szzzyyyxx themselves. There is more that is not being told.

As Sally gathers her team in preparation for her new mission there is a strong sense that what is happening in Szzzyyyxx space has far greater implications than previously thought.

While Sally introduces a reluctant Earth official to the Szzzyyyxx Mother, she finds herself in an unusual position. The Szzzyyyxx need help and only the sort that humans could provide. Sally must now plan for a new mission with new technology.