Navy lieutenant Podkayne, daughter of Ray Garcia-Strickland, is tired of her job as Martian consul in California—and Earth's oppressive gravity. So she's OK with getting called back to Mars, even if it's because her great-grandmother is sick and being put into suspended animation.

After a family reunion, Podkayne's next port of call is Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, where she can finally realize her dream of being a singer. But just when her life seems to be improving for the better, disaster strikes and Podkayne is put into her own state of suspension.

Awakened ten years later, she will discover a solar system in turmoil—where the very survival of humanity is at risk.