In the near future, the ravages of a warming planet have worsened, driving a new era of climate refugees. Rohini Haakonsen, a young Indian-American woman, attends a UN conference on the problem when humanoid aliens materialize. Known as the Elders, the aliens present themselves as benign, even offering to help us solve our climate crisis. Can they be trusted? Rohini is chosen to join a group of ambassadors to the aliens' world, but when masked gunmen attempt to kidnap her, it becomes clear not everyone on Earth is willing to go along with the aliens' plans. Eventually, along with Agent Jane Smith, Rohini is forced to flee, accepting the help of a Daoist secret society. Rohini's search for the truth takes her around the globe and into the deepest recesses of her own mind. Before she can make it to the Elders' world, she must survive her own.