Dafyd meets with his head of security, Llian Andermus, who reports on recent crimes among the human captives, including thefts and assaults. She reveals that she punished a man for groping by breaking both his hands and threatened to break his spine if he committed another assault. Andermus demands clear operational guidelines and Dafyd’s unequivocal support, declaring that she will not be his “sin-eater” by taking the blame for unpopular decisions. Dafyd orders her to prioritize the Carryx’s demands and maintain order, though he voices concern about punishments like paralyzing people. He then asks Andermus to convince Tomos, who has already refused his requests twice, to meet with him.

After Andermus departs, Dafyd feels overwhelmed by his duties and his secret rage against the Carryx. Tomos appears, explaining that Andermus threatened her into coming. Dafyd reveals his plan to create stories, songs, and myths for the new generation of captive-born children. He wants her to secretly embed a culture of subversion into their upbringing, teaching them how to appear compliant while awaiting the opportunity to rebel. He confesses that he’s part of a conspiracy to destroy the empire and gives Tomos an ultimatum: She can either report him to be killed or join him. Seeing his ruthlessness, Tomos agrees to help, remarking that she finally recognizes his aunt Dory in him.

Aboard one of the landing ships, Jessyn is questioned by Third Gardener before heading out for fieldwork. She travels to what appears to be a cultivated orchard and discovers trees bearing a fruit that resembles a pear. When she runs a biological analysis on the fruit, she’s shocked to find that it contains DNA, chloroplasts, and mitochondria, proving that it shares a common evolutionary ancestor with life from her home world of Anjiin.

Jessyn realizes that the planet’s former inhabitants must have been human, which means that humanity is the “deathless enemy” that the Carryx have been fighting. She’s startled by the implication that the Carryx are unaware that their new human captives are the same species as their ancient foe. As she processes this revelation, a chime from her kit startles her; a raven bursts from the tall grass, and when she turns back, a man is standing beside her equipment. He is human, a survivor of the planet’s recent destruction, and he’s holding a knife.

Over lunch, Tonner tells Jellit that the Soft Lothark guards nibble each other, a behavior that Tonner’s team member Brun attributes to “vestigial grooming.” Jellit is skeptical of the theory. He then raises what he sees as a related pattern, recalling from Jessyn’s account how guards consumed the body of a fallen comrade after a failed rebellion, though he acknowledges that he didn’t witness this himself. The conversation turns personal when Jellit admits that he’s upset over a romantic rejection from someone in his lab and asks Tonner if he has forgiven his own ex-partner, Else.

The discussion spurs Tonner to investigate Jellit’s theory. He returns to his old lab, where one of his team members, Sommerson, is working. He approaches the Soft Lothark guard stationed there and deliberately touches its arm, provoking an aggressive shove. Having made contact, Tonner uses a gloved hand to collect a sample from the guard’s greasy pelt. He then places the sample into a resonance imager to begin an analysis.

The armed man forces Jessyn to walk blindfolded to a cave hidden in a cliff face. Inside, she finds a small group of human survivors, a woman and about 10 children. Jessyn is then confronted by a menacing figure in black armor. The being identifies itself as “Corvall” and demonstrates its weapon by blasting a hole in the cave wall, a display that Jessyn recognizes as a threat, before returning to its post.

Jessyn’s captors fail to search her, and she realizes that she still has her notebook. Using the device, she confirms her location on the expedition’s map. To avoid alerting the Carryx, she sends a coded message to Garral asking to “compare notes” and secretly embedding her coordinates. Having summoned Garral without revealing the survivors’ existence to the Carryx, Jessyn hides the notebook and pretends to sleep.

Surur-Tlassen, a Carryx regulator-librarian, dreams of his past as a brood mother and reflects on his personal ambition as a metaphor for the empire’s growth. Aboard a Carryx warship in a combat zone, a group of bird-like captives called the Budon of Luus suddenly begins to sing a beautiful, unearthly song. The sound draws all the other captives and guards into the common area. Campar notices that the Soft Lothark guards have lain down on the floor and that his balance feels off. In a separate account, Rickar also notices the Lothark bracing themselves. Suddenly, the ship is rocked by a violent attack, accompanied by a blinding blue light that disorients everyone.

After the chaos subsides, Vaudai, a captive who resembles a large slug, explains to Rickar that the Budon are biological sensors. Their song was a warning to the Carryx, allowing them to counter an enemy “projection field” trap. Vaudai reveals that its own purpose is to analyze patterns of violence for its keeper-librarian. Rickar understands that the Carryx are using the various captive species as specialized tools and living sensors in their war effort.

Garral follows the coordinates from Jessyn’s coded message and is met by a young woman from the survivor group. He follows her willingly toward the cliff but hesitates at the cave entrance. He’s struck by the realization that she’s too young to have been taken captive at the height of a career like the others, and he flees. He’s quickly captured by Corvall and returned to the cave, where he’s reunited with Jessyn. When the captors find both his and Jessyn’s notebooks, they realize that their location is compromised and prepare to move.

As the survivors pack, Garral notices marks in the dirt from a children’s math lesson. He recognizes an ancient numbering system from Anjiin’s oldest settlements. He tests several words from first-generation languages, and the man with the knife, Omco, recognizes a variant of proto-Darsin. Garral successfully establishes a rudimentary form of communication. He explains to a shocked Jessyn that these survivors aren’t merely biologically human; they share a direct cultural and linguistic heritage with the people of Anjiin.

Dafyd has a disturbing nightmare in which he’s a Carryx and is unable to communicate an urgent report to his keeper-librarian. The nightmare ends when he discovers that he can trill back to a silver Carryx in its own language and the creature tells him that he’s expected. Later, Tomos proposes that Ver study the Carryx and decode their body language. Dafyd is hesitant, as he deeply distrusts Ver, explaining that Ver’s previous violent outburst caused the permanent presence of Soft Lothark and Rak-hund guards that now hampers everything he’s trying to do. However, he agrees to consider the idea.

Tomos privately rebukes Dafyd for his distrust, noting that Ver spent four years studying animal movement and pointing out that his ostracizing of Jellit is also counterproductive. She insists that he must learn to work with the flawed people available to him. Feeling desperate and isolated, Dafyd goes to the visualization lab. He approaches the swarm and confesses that he’s in trouble and needs its help to understand things beyond his grasp. The swarm is relieved, believing that Dafyd’s request is a chance to repair their relationship and be loved by him again, as it was when Else was its host.