Forcibly returning Edward Kirk to the nation he'd fled seemed entirely routine, but there was nothing routine about its aftermath or the misery it wrought. Faced with impending conflict, Regina is forced to reconsider both her own identity and her preconceptions of others. Are their actions just? Is he the true villain, or merely an unfortunate victim?

For Edward Kirk, distinguished researcher, respected intellectual, and pioneering inventor, it was easy to justify everything in the name of scientific progress. But after being captured by enemy agents in the aftermath of his most promising experiment, circumstances and his captor force him to examine the validity of his beliefs and their questionable results.