Aboard a scientific drilling vessel taking core samples from an ancient impact crater, student intern Kevin Guzman has one of his prescient feelings just before an earthquake sends a tsunami radiating out from under the ship. Now a strange woman has requested his help in saving the world. She'd like him to believe that millions of years ago an asteroid struck the earth and converted it into an enormous communication satellite for the denizens of some distant galaxy. But the messages haven't been coming through, so the Gossamer Sphere is about to "tune" itself-and destroy the planet's crust in its efforts.Kevin is skeptical, but given the odd things that have been happening to him lately, intrigued. All Caitlin O'Connor has to do is demonstrate her shapeshifting abilities, however, and he's a believer. Caitlin introduces him to Lizbeth, the magician's daughter with nimble pickpocket's fingers, and Zach, whose weapon of choice is sarcasm, but whose martial arts training is more effective. The teens aren't pleased to discover they're descended from shapeshifters themselves, and Caitlin isn't exactly endearing herself to them. After centuries of watching those she's loved grow old and die, she's put up an enigmatic front, but she needs their help finding the Gossamer Crown-the only thing that can stop the destruction. Crafted from the alien biometal that gives the sphere its power, the crown either kills whoever touches it, or changes them forever.