Waruu relishes his new responsibilities working for Slade and the government – he and Slade force Boondee to become the first public victim of “the process”. And Slade, unbeknownst to Waruu, is perfecting work on a substance that could destroy Koen. Meanwhile Jarrod’s wife Charlotte still suspects there is something sinister and wrong about her pregnancy. Araluen, having escaped from captivity and killed Matthews, her tormentor and the former minister for Human Safety, searches desperately for her family. Boondee is still under sedation at Slade’s laboratory and Latani is on the run with Nerida – Araluen remains unaware that Djukara died protecting Latani from Containment Authority guards. After the death of Mungo at the hands of racist hoodlums, Koen rejoins Harry and the others and begins making a plan to resist Slade and the CA but, after demonstrating his dangerous new powers, finds himself drawn away to the forest where he is reunited with the most unexpected of friends.