The story opens 33 years after an event known as Ark Fall, when an alien race called the Votan invaded Earth, resulting in significant terraforming of the planet. We meet the protagonist, Joshua Nolan, who is driving with his adopted alien daughter, Irisa. They are on a scavenging mission, seeking items to sell in hopes of affording a trip to Antarctica, which is rumored to be a mystical paradise.

After some time on the road, they arrive at a wrecked spaceship and begin searching for salvageable technology. Their efforts pay off when they discover a valuable spherical power source, potentially worth a substantial amount of money, setting the stage for their next adventure.