Diane Duane and Peter Morwood weave a riveting tale about the Federation's most cunning and dangerous enemies - the Romulans - and their close relatives, the Vulcans.

Captain Kirk joins a traitorous female Romulan soldier to destroy a secret research laboratory and free a group of captive Vulcans. But when the Romulans discover their plan, the Neutral Zone seethes with schemes and counter-schemes, sabotage and war. Along the way, the long-hidden history of the Romulan people is revealed all the way back to the tragic schism that tore apart planet Vulcan thousands of years ago.