The starship Utopia Plain narrowly avoids disaster after a subspace distortion wave forces an emergency landing on Mars. While recovering at Styx City, Lieutenant Cy De Gerch notices eerie changes in her apartment, including remnants of her deceased lover, Jos Manxman.

A mysterious message and Jos’s sudden reappearance thrust Cy into an emotional whirlwind as she grapples with the possibility of an alternate reality.

Their journey across the Martian Utopia Plain leads to haunting encounters, and culminates in the discovery of Viking II, an ancient lander.

Along the way, Cy confronts her genetically engineered nature, her duty as a soldier, and Jos’s hopes for a peaceful life. Conversations with Jos reveal tensions, regrets, and unresolved emotions from their shared past.

Amidst fractured timelines and shifting realities, Cy’s world grows increasingly surreal. Encounters with enigmatic figures like Hil, a Martian ranger, deepen the mystery as time and space unravel.

A crash site exposes the deadly consequences of the reality distortion, leaving Cy and Jos questioning their existence as timelines snap back into place, leaving Cy haunted by déjà vu and the unshakable feeling that something—or someone—vital has been lost.