Following the massacre of miners by security forces of Earth's mining colony on Mars, Ambassador Benton Hawkes is called against his will to go off-planet and negotiate a resolution to the unrest. His appointment as the first interplanetary ambassador has made him the only leader who can resolve these issues, but also a target for numerous assassination attempts. Forces on both sides appear to want peace talks to fail. During his space journey and upon arrival on Mars, Hawkes finds a small group of allies - and more enemies than one man can defeat.
