Several thousand years from now, Earth is home to a utopian civilization comprised of "hu" -- humans and "ai" -- augmented intelligences. But, while peace reigns on Earth, it is a tormented age elsewhere in the galaxy, for vast differences separate the hu and ai cultures. The hu citizens of the isolated asteroid Psyche, though scientifically sophisticated, remain primitive and violent beyond all reason or cause, particularly toward ai beings whose robot minds are forbidden and feared. When Telmah Lord Cima, the young hu scion of Psyche's ruling dynasty, travels to Earth to complete his education, a shared love of gaming brings him together with the newly born ai, Ratio. Freed from Psyche's cultural bigotry, on Earth the hu and ai become inseparable friends. But the sudden and suspicious death of Psyche's ruler draws them both back to Telmah's beleaguered homeworld -- where his ruthless and ambitious uncle Feng has married Telmah's recently widowed mother and assumed the Directorship of Psyche. Suspecting foul play, obsessed with revenge, Telmah faces a sea of troubles.