Nathan Casy escapes the mines of Mars while working on a shanghaiing mission to Earth. On the run, he encounters a band of people with telepathy, a mutation spawned by War Four. They believe he is the Heavensent of prophecy who will deliver their people from Phillip Pope, the despotic NewMerica ruler who is trying to wipe them out. Nathan, though doubtful, joins forces with the rebels and they soon invade the seat of empire where Pope resides. During this invasion, Nathan discovers a profound evil that must be overcome if the rebels and, indeed, the entire world can survive. This evil greedily inhabits the minds of all who encounter it, preying upon their weaknesses. Nathan, though taken to his knees, realizes something about this too close to home evil that may just allow him to vanquish it.