In the wake of their defeat by the humans, the ambitious Kchula-Tzaatz seizes ultimate power of the Kzinti Patriarchy, sending Pouncer, First-Son-of-Meerz-Rritt, heir apparent to the galaxy's
most powerful empire, on a desperate flight for survival following the collapse of his father's dynasty, and forcing Major Quacy Tskombe and Captain Ayla Cherenkova into a dangerous game in
which the future of all humankind hangs in the balance.