Northgate is a city in turmoil. Decaying, violent and corrupt, it is a common enough place in the mid-twenty-first century save for one difference: a discovery has been made on the lunar surface, the ramifications of which will echo all the way to Northgate. Into the city has come Michael Flynn. Jobless and down to his last few dollars, Michael nevertheless dreams of making a difference of his own. He has no family, no friends save for the freelancer known only as Diomedes, and tonight they will lose their home to arson. When Diomedes becomes his mentor in their search for the one responsible, Michael will get his chance to realize those dreams. But he will need to find the courage to face far more personal things than fire before he succeeds, for like a shadow in the flames, neither arsonist nor mentor may be what they seem. ...and those who search the moon may be watching him as well.