Verrons, the interstellar explorer, is

infected with the dread "bloodblos-

sore" disease, and exiled to a quar-

antine planet. But Verrons is not the

kind of man to stay quietly in a de-

pressing little colony of dying men and

other humanoids. Together with Wells,

a human from the ice-planet Talberon,

and Tiehl, a bird-man alien, he strikes

out across the surveyed-but-unex-

plored wilderness of the planet. All of

them are cynical about the prospects

of a cure and determine to live or die on

their own.

They discover a decadent tribe of

alien humanoids and, further on, the

ruins of a marvelous, once-great city,

where they must escape the posses-

sive spirits of the now-dead ancients,

which take hold of them through the

medium of musical, flutelike instru-

ments. Tiehl in the meantime reverts to

the primitive instincts of his winged

ancestors and clain s the highest tower

in the city as his perch.

Aleida, one of the primitive survivors

of the great race, has followed the

party to the city and there learns of her

heritage. She has within herself the

potential to wield enormous mental

powers and energies that will allow her

to control solar waves by an act of will.