"The world of Harmony, along with its close-knit colony planets, long ago isolated itself from the rest of the universe. Whether you were of human or alien descent you were not welcome in Harmony space." "But in a universe where the human-based Confederated Star System fleet found itself hard-pressed to stand against ever-increasing attacks by the alien Marillon Empire, the Harmonic Empire couldn't be left alone. For if the CSS could not win an alliance with Harmony, the Marils would surely find a way to invade and seize control of the invaluable metal which only the Harmonites could produce." "Yet invasion is far from the only threat the people of Harmony face. The very structure of their society was on the verge of crumbling. The population was divided into a seven-part caste system - with one's lot in life determined by the caste marking he or she was born with - ruled over by the High Priest and High Priestess of the Crystal Temple. And the gulf between rich and poor, rulers and ruled, was nearly insurmountable. What was even worse was that the planet itself seemed to be becoming increasingly unstable. In this time of crisis one young woman, a member of the working class, yet born with the marks of all seven castes - and unprecedented event - might prove Harmony's best hope or the catalyst for total collapse." "Could Harmony - and the unique young woman suddenly thrust into the role of High Priestess - survive both the external dangers to the empire and the internal political, social, religious, and ecological upheaval that threatened to tear the world apart?"--BOOK JACKET.