A young Nunamiut boy vanishes into the Alaskan wilderness. It's a harsh land, and his disappearance barely stirs national interest. But strange signals detected by a nearby observatory raise alarm bells for theoretical physicist Anne Fleming-and send her running to Carpes. She needs help. She needs the one person who will never trust her. She needs Marda. Joined by Ben, Torz, and Anne, Marda follows a trail that stretches from Carpes to Africa and then to Alaska. There, they discover a vest made from the same alien material as Marda's glove. This is no longer a missing person's case. It's a search for a new portal. A new Stellar Bridge. But Carpes has been scanned. There are no other bridges. So where does the Alaskan portal lead? And who-or what-will they find waiting on the other side?