While attempting a dangerous spacewalk repair, a skeptical astronaut named Ovis gets blasted by a mysterious anomaly which uncloaks a dilapidated spacecraft that’s been lost in time. Upon returning to Outpost 8, the pilot Qidal, tells Ovis the story of the lost ship, the Impression, the captive Saarvinan architect Saut, and the potential of recovering The Inventory of the Mind, essential knowledge that could bring an end to the Eternal War.
Ovis and shipmate Phex enter the Impression and recover two unconscious crew members, Meno and Lem, and bring them back to Outpost 8. Lying on a stretcher, Meno dreams that he enters a silver tower and warns Saut he will find him using the Ice Nexus. Waking up on Outpost 8, Meno threatens Ovis as to his whereabouts, but is intrigued with Qidal’s introduction. When Meno reveals that the Inventory has been stolen by Saut and taken to the Sphere of the White Spider, Qidal is shocked.
Lem informs them that they must reach the Ice Nexus in order to recover the Inventory. Ovis points out that the Ice Nexus is a myth, but Meno is determined to find Saut and return the Inventory to the Guardians.
Suddenly, the Outpost comes under attack by a Saarvinan warship searching for Saut and the lost ship. Qidal leads a fierce battle against the warship and orders Ovis, Meno, and Lem to escape on the Impression. They fly to the planet Si Bulan, and Ovis and Meno set out on foot to find the Ice Nexus. Along the way, they are attacked by a beast, but are saved at the last moment by Deathless, the Nexus guide.
Upon arriving at the Nexus, Meno collapses and is too injured to enter. Deathless tells Ovis that it is up to her to make the jump. As Ovis prepares to enter the Nexus, Meno attempts to go in himself and knocks Ovis in unprepared. Inside, Ovis falls into the swirling vortex of the Nexus. She finds Saut and is able to pierce his mind, but ultimately is unable to recover the Inventory.
