war. At the start of the book, the regiment, consisting of Hartford's "Terrible Third," is returning to their barracks after a prolonged field exercise. Their routines highlight the heavy reliance on sterile safety suits, as their species, chemically pure Axenites, lack immunity to Earth bacteria. Amidst the camaraderie and banter of the soldiers, tension simmers beneath the surface regarding their treatment of the native population. Then, after a series of events, Lieutenant Piacentelli seeks to make contact with the locals, leading to tragic outcomes that spark a violent response from the colonel commanding Hartford, raising questions about morality, duty, and the dark purpose behind their mission on an alien world. (This is an automatically generated summary.)