Crag is a rogue human, a criminal on the run. When he is set up for transporting a dangerous drug, his judge, Olliver, offers him a deal: go into the psyched and have his memory wiped, or become Olliver's partner in crime, and venture to Mars to steal a dangerous weapon. Of course, not all is what it seems, though it's not far off, and mostly the book telegraphs what's going to happen, right down to the end.