Heidel von Hymack, known to all as "H", is a man with the power to cure people of incurable diseases. He travels from world to world healing people by touching them. However his healing powers have a dark side: after a while they reverse and he becomes a spreader of deadly diseases. Avoiding contact with others is almost impossible because of his celebrity, so his most dedicated followers tend to die horribly. He does not know why he has this power, though he dreams of a mysterious "Lady" who rules his life. In fact he has been accidentally joined to a deity of the Pei'an religion, a goddess of disease and healing whose changing moods determine whether he saves or kills. The only other human so joined is Francis Sandow, a man of incalculable wealth who builds planets. Sandow was introduced in the novel
Isle of the Dead. Commander Malacar Miles is the only man living on an Earth devastated in an interstellar war between DYNAB and the Combined Leagues (CL). He uses his unexpired
diplomatic immunity from the peace negotiations to wage a campaign of sabotage on the CL economy. Learning of "H", he searches for him in order to use him for
bioterrorism. Francis Sandow is searching for "H" to put a stop to the plagues "H" has been spreading. Sandow, Miles, "H", and others meet in a confrontation where Miles is killed and the "Lady" is exorcised from her host. Sandow agrees to use his wealth and worldscaping powers to restore the Earth. ==Reception==