Alastair Reynolds gives the story a mythical touch here as it gets connected to the past which most of the people of the land have forgotten. Nine hundred thousand years have passed now since the attack was launched by an alien race against the Amarantin. Most of the people don’t know the reason behind the attack and all people remember now is that the whole race was destroyed not leaving a single trace.
Dan Sylveste is the only scientist who has the light trace of the reason because of which the attack was launched. The Amarantin were inventing the art of space flight when they faced an extreme beat down. Now the past is coming to life again as Dan is also following the same footsteps and he is also on the verge of discovering the same thing. If he does not invent the thing in time then there is a possibility that the same enemy will attack in the same way.
The question remains that why the invention has so much importance and Dan thinks that he would soon get the answer to this question. The answer could be a bullet in the head as well which he does not want. The story does not possess a small span like the Elysium Fire and House of Suns. In this mission, the whole of the universe is under a serious threat and if history repeats itself like a myth this time then the human race will have to live under the shadows for another thousand years.
John Lee gets into full speed as the time for the invention comes near because with the invention the danger of the attack becomes more predictable.