Toru owes King Stuvan everything, including his life. So when the king sends him on an impossible quest, refusal does not even come to Toru's mind. But as he maneuvers a hostile, snowy landscape that wants him dead and stumbles upon shelter, he realises not everything is as it seems...

Ayaan plans to spend shore leave blissfully alone, so of course he ends up grudgingly befriending a persistent, cheerful alien. But as their relationship develops, Ayaan is forced to confront his own prejudices - and past traumas.