Earl was working on mining world Clovis with his traveller friend Lemain.
Lemain was killed trying to rob a casino.
Before he died he gave Earl a message to carry to his brother, the aristocratic Grower (Plantation Owner) Quendis Lemain on Loame to the effect that he had not been able to find what they sought on three worlds. He also told Earl that one of the other Growers, Delamayer probably had information about Earth.
Earl went to Loame and found the spaceport controlled by troops from nearby Technos. He obtained permission to speak to Lemain and gave him a false message. Lemain understood and invited Earl to stay as a guest. Lemain told Earl that Delamayer had killed himself and his house was destroyed by a virulent spreading plant infestation, the Thorge, that threatened to engulf all of Loame. The Growers suspected the Thorge had been planted on Loame by Technos to destroy their planetary society. Lemain took Earl home where he met Lemain’s family including his eldest son, Cleon who had been called as tribute to Technos. No one who went there ever came back. Though sick with worry, the honourable Lemain would not cause his servants send a son in Cleon’s place. Lemain and his wife remembered Delamayer had a daughter, Elaine, with an eidetic memory, who had moved to Technos before the hostilities. Earl volunteered to take Cleon’s place in disguise to go to the otherwise closed Technos and seek Elaine and her memories. Cleon, disguised as Earl, left immediately.
When Earl arrived on Technos, he and the other tributaries were sent to of indoctrination lectures where they were told how evil their Growers were. Earl skipped the drugged wine with dinner and left the dormitory only to be apprehended and taken to Major Kreon of security. Major Kreon was nice enough and explained why he believed Earl must be a spy. Earl overcame the guards and using Kreon as a hostage attained the outside of the complex. Using Kreon’s money he checked into a series of hotels and then fled to the capital city riding the monorail.
On the monorail, Earl met Mada Grist, a councilwoman. Technos was a scientific meritocracy and those who sat on its council had passed exams and excelled in research and other scientific endeavours. She had attended an ostensibly conspiratorial meeting of council members opposed to chairman Vargas at a mountain winter resort. Vargas, with the aid of his subordinate Brekla and cyber Ruen ruled the planet as a dictator. Seeing that the other councillors were losing their nerve, Mada elected to simply enjoy the event and then return home. On the way back she saw the monorail and remembered nostalgically from her school days how she had ridden it, and, deciding to ride it again ended up sitting across from Earl. Earl asked her if she were not from Loame (her complexion was the same olive tone as the Loame residents) She became interested in him and vouched for him with the guards who eventually came looking for him.
Arriving at the capital he searched the public library computer for information on Earth, finding nothing new, and then sought out Elaine. He went to her apartment claiming to be Major Kreon. He asked her about Earth and she told him about the constellations of the Zodiac she had read of in her father’s books. She tried to drug Earl’s tisane, but anticipating this might happen, he took stimulants and fled. He made the street but, disoriented, was hit by a vehicle.
He awoke in the care of Mada Grist who quickly apprised him of his debt to her and became his lover. Later she asked him to kill Vargas, but he refused saying he only killed when he had do. Major Kreon, tipped by cyber Ruen, came to arrest him. Earl escaped through the ventilation system and came into Vargas’ apartment where Vargas was consulting Ruen. Vargas fainted, and Earl and Ruen argued until Earl was captured by Kreon’s men.
Earl was severely questioned by Vargas’ Dr Yenthal so he confessed even Mada’s plot. Mada, anticipating this, had already prepared to flee Technos. Recovering from his questioning, Earl met Elaine, serendipitously appointed his doctor. He asked Elaine about Mada’s being from Loame and was told Mada was from Technos and 87 years old. Earl and Elaine realized Mada had had her brain transplanted into the body of a young Loame woman. They also realized this was the main purpose of the captive youths from Loame and that Vargas intended to do the same with Earl. Earl realized Vargas was insane, gave Elaine slowtime and told her to get Kreon to lead a coup d’état against Vargas. Earl was recaptured, taken to Yenthal’s lab and made to run through a cruel
labyrinth of deadly obstacles to evaluate his survival instincts for Vargas’
transplant. Overcoming the obstacles, he exited the labyrinth to find Ruen and Vargas in a quarrel over him. Ruen killed Vargas, Earl killed Ruen and made Yenthal run through his own labyrinth. Earl found his old clothes in Ruen’s quarters; the Cyclan had killed Cleon. Kreon freed Mada and took over the government. He, Mada and Elaine promised to reform Technos and kill the Thorge on Loame. Earl said a strange but sad farewell to Mada and left on a ship for Jalanth, continuing his search for Earth.