A thousand-year conflict has made its way to Earth's doorstep. Devastating losses have caused the Oide to make a desperate decision--to include an obscure species, humans, in the ambassador selection cycle. This decision will change the fate of the galaxy and the human race forever. Marcus Westbrook is a retiring military officer, and we experience his final months in uniform and the challenges of his new role as a supporting husband and father. The human race is turned upside down when the Evaluator arrives. Inept and frightened government leadership try to keep their populations calm as the alien craft explores the planet looking for a candidate. It finds only one. Marcus must make a difficult choice--leave his family for an uncertain future and likely death, or condemn the human race to a dark force threatening the entire galaxy. Pain, blood, sweat, and tears are Marcus's rewards in the selection process. His perseverance and dedication prove worthy of the duties of the ambassador. Betrayal from the heart of the Oide threatens to crush his resolve and push him to the breaking point. But, it is a loss so personal that drives him beyond the point of reason. He discovers this was the plan all along. The final plan to crush the Noyor threat. But have the Oide gone too far?