Ssyba is a turbulent figure; ancestor to a prehistoric specie of apex predators, ruled by hunger and animal fear, disgraced to mere pet but still very much swayed by an instinctual, savage will. During a night chase she is poisoned, assaulted from the cover of darkness and left dying in the streets. As consciousness streams from the head wound, she is met with a destiny that she can't deny.

The setting presents an Earth burned and rendered sterile. Societies bundle together and only dare to dream of the edge of planet-wide deserts. And under the tormenting photon-shower of the sun, a dour plot is struck in order to bring again an ancient dynasty.