On a savage planet colonists have built a society that lives in harmony with all life. Cheobawn, a child of the village, was marked with the Black Bead, a symbol of bad luck and shame. Yet there is something powerful about her the elders don’t understand.
Finally of age, Cheobawn joins a pack as the psychic Ear on a mission outside the Home Dome. This is her chance to prove herself. But something sinister stalks them and they must draw on their strengths and training if they want to survive.