In this intrigue- and adventure-packed work, Cherryh takes readers back to Compact space, home territory of the advanced catlike race the hani. Here is the story of the next generation of hani and specifically of Hilfy, the new captain of the spaceship Chanur's Legacy.
The epic conclusion to the Hugo Award-nominated saga begins as alien entities called "humans" send their first exploration ship into Compact space, disrupting the seven Compact races' alliance. Pyanfar Chanur and her feline hani crew give shelter to the only surviving human from the ship, pitching them into the center of a galactic maelstrom which could cause interstellar war.
Pyanfar Chanur thought she had seen the last of Tully, the lone human who had so disrupted the peace of Meetpoint Station and gained the Chanur clan the enmity of half a dozen races as well as their own. But Tully is back, bringing with him a priceless trade contract with human space. A contract which would mean vast power, riches, and a new hornet's nest for Pyanfar and the Pride.
When Tully, a fugitive from a spaceship captured by the arrogant, insect-like Kif, takes refuge on the Pride of Chanur, a merchant vessel belonging to a clan of the lion-like Hani, Hilfy, its captain, gives him shelter, in spite of all the dangers she and her crew will face.
