After the battle at Enga's Redoubt, Dylan and the Andromeda crew are assessing their situation. They are far from Terazed, the Commonwealth capital, and, with no response to their courier ships, are unsure of the current status of the Commonwealth. Beka wonders what instigated the battle, claiming that it could not have been solely Tyr and the Nietzscheans.

Five Ogami ships emerge from slipstream, in pursuit of a courier ship. Andromeda destroys three of them, and the other two retreat. The courier is damaged and out of control, but Andromeda takes it into her hangar. The pilot, "Luck", is rushed to the med deck, where he hands Dylan a holographic message.

The message is from a man named Paroo, who claims that the Commonwealth is "history", and tells Dylan that he and his crew should look to their own safety. Paroo tells Dylan that he has Tri-Jema, one of the Triumvirs, and he blames Dylan for the fall of the Commonwealth.

Andromeda suggests that they return to Terazed, but Dylan intends to rescue the Triumvir. Beka is not confident that there is much that they can do, and Harper is unsure of the risk/benefit ratio. Trance informs Dylan that the Abyss is behind this.

Trance treats Luck, who is dying.

Beka, Trance, and Rommie have a discussion on the Maru, evaluating their situation. Beka still seems unsure. Dylan interrupts, and Trance informs him that Luck was tortured, and the stakes are getting higher. She is worried about her bonsai. Dylan had promised to take it to safety, but tells her that other things may take precedence.

Harper tells Andromeda that he is going to leave, but seems uncertain.

Luck dies, after asking Dylan to save the Commonwealth.

Andromeda analyzes the message from Paroo. She notices him wearing the insignia of a Collector. She is having difficulty tracing his background, however. She does manage to trace the path of Luck's courier ship, discovering that it traveled at an extraordinary speed, and seemed to originate at the All-Forces Nullification Point, a legendary place where all forces (electromagnetic, molecular, etc.) are cancelled, and matter would disintegrate.

Dylan decides to return to the battleground and search for more information.

Trance tells Dylan that she is frightened, and that it is time to act decisively.

Beka and Harper reaffirm their commitment to Dylan and the Commonwealth.

Back at the battleground, amidst the wreckage, they locate an intact Commonwealth cruiser, commanded by Captain Cross. He tells Dylan that the fleet attacked on orders from Paroo. Andromeda recovers communication logs from various ships, and discovers many messages from Paroo, ordering them into the fight, and claiming that the Andromeda was firing on the Commonwealth fleet. He accuses Dylan of betraying them.

As several more Commonwealth ships arrive, they locate Tyr's slipfighter, which is empty.

Andromeda tries to extrapolate Luck's path to determine his point of origin and locate Paroo and Tri-Jema. They follow this path, and find themselves at the All-Forces Nullification Point, where there is a planet that is slowly disintegrating. Rommie informs them that here are small safe areas where Paroo and Tri-Jema must be hiding. Beka insists on accompanying Dylan in his search.

Dylan and Beka locate Paroo, who is babbling insanely. He says that he intends to do as much damage as he can before he dies, but they are all going to die anyway. He admits betraying the Commonwealth, and accuses Dylan of the same. While Beka heads out to search for Tri-Jema, Paroo tells Dylan that he made a deal with the Abyss, under torture. Paroo and Dylan fight, and Dylan forces Paroo to give him coordinates where he can find Tri-Jema. Beka returns, and Dylan tells her to guard Paroo while he finds the Triumvir.

While Dylan is gone, Paroo tells Beka he made a "Faustian bargain" with the Abyss, and has been deliberately setting groups against each other. He tells her that "everything is coming to an end."

Dylan finds Tri-Jema, who pulls a forcelance on him, accusing him of betraying the Commonwealth. He tells her that the planet is falling apart, and they have to leave. She does not trust him, believing he fired on the Commonwealth fleet. Paroo arrives, and tells Tri-Jema not to trust Dylan. Dylan shoots and kills him, and Paroo dissolves into a black puddle, with glowing red spots. Tri-Jema agrees to leave with Dylan.

As they arrive back on the Andromeda, the planet begins to disintegrate quickly. Dylan orders them to slipstream in an attempt to re-trace the courier's route out. They begin hurtling through slipstream at an extraordinarily high speed.

As they exit slipstream, the Spirit of the Abyss appears on the Command Deck, then disappears. The crew is shaken, but Andromeda reports all systems are OK.

Andromeda leads the remaining fleet to Terazed, where Tri-Jema takes Dylan to meet with Congress. Although it has suffered a heavy blow, the Commonwealth has survived.