A dark secret. A deadly shadow. A false dawn. Under orders from Earth's Global Government, Jas Harrington and the crew of the Galathea arrive at the colony world of Dawn, where the hostile aliens that infest their ship can be rooted out. Jas soon learns that the aliens are called Shadows, and that there's been a conspiracy of silence surrounding the threat they pose to the galaxy. She also finds there's more to Dawn than meets the eye. She discovers the horrible truth of what the Shadows do to their victims. She discovers that Dawn's security has been penetrated. She discovers what the planet's inhabitants are hiding. As the Shadows draw near, Jas battles desperately to free the people of Dawn from their dark secrets. If she doesn't succeed, no one can survive.