After they crash their ship, Clain and an ill Nessa find themselves in the extravagant city of Xanadu under the care of deceptively friendly doppels.

Clain is helpless behind a clear wall as Barrot details Phryne's role in the system, but the priest's demented rant is cut short. As the temple begins to collapse and Nessa starts to fade, the future of Fractale--and all of mankind--lies in Phryne's hands.