The second in the "Children of Power" series, this book follows Jenni's class at Smith Valley as they take time off from school. Most of the frontier students are heading home: Jenni is taking Michiko to visit her family, and members of Hope's family come to campus to make sure she and Kae do the same.

Smith Valley's mid-term break is a welcome vacation for its students. Jenni and Michiko made plans together, and their first stop is the frontier planet Elisia: Jenni's homeworld, where her parents and twin sister will be waiting. The last day of school is relaxed, the shuttle schedule is tight, and the nearest transportation hub is packed with departing students.

Michiko and Jenni run into friends at the local space station, and they pass the time waiting for their next flight by buying souvenirs and testing out visual translators. Though some of Jenni's friends have learned to sign, others continue to rely on her transcriber to be understood. Ziah thinks it's only fair that he get a device that lets him understand her in return.

Local hubs and public shuttles like a luxury to Hope when her family shows up at school to collect her and Kae. She's hustled home to the colony moon of RS-42 and wants to leave as soon as she arrives. She calls up some friends instead, joins an artistic roleplay and a telepathic retreat, and avoids her brother as much as possible.

Old friends and new welcome her, but away from Smith Valley, it's impossible to know whether they like her for who she is... or for who she knows.