On the 9th of February 2271 NGT, the Atlanc is transferred to the Transgressions Zone of the Limbo, where she gets stranded in the truest sense of the word. The judge ship stands on an endless plain of gravel and sand under a black sky. Atlan can explore the environment without a protective suit, but there is neither water nor life. The Arkonide feels an invisible threat like a monster wave that never comes closer. The Anc says it cannot start. The area is called the Stormland and is identical to the transgression zone. It used to be a spatiotemporal membrane that enclose the Lands Beyond Time.
Atlan wakes up Vogel Zieloss but the genifer cannot do anything either. The Pensor is also helpless. Atlan dreams of Dagor grandmaster Roe Malut da Kaberna and of a giant Yilld who threatens to devour him. In order to clarify his mind and perhaps still remember the stay beyond the sources of matter, Atlan Dagor uses meditation techniques and assumes Vogel as a student. At the same time, exploratory drillings are being carried out in a wide area, but they only bring the realization that there is nothing in the Stormland except rock.
Months pass. On August 23rd, a woman appears out of nowhere. Atlan calls her Aiv after his daughter, who the stranger looks like. She describes herself as a Balance and says she is waiting for the outcome of a war. She admires the Atlanc, makes some cryptic remarks, and disappears. The next day, Aiv appears again. This time she has five other Balances with her. Atlan learns that the Transgression Zone is being attacked by the Consortium of the Mental Stencils, a dangerous Great Power from the Dying Afternoon of the Universe. This alliance of approximately 100 peoples dominates nearly 50 galaxies and has been waging war against the defenders of the Transgression Zone for centuries. The "standing" monster wave is a sign of the attacks still in check. Aiv says Atlan has stranded the Atlanc and only he could bring the ship back to flying. He has to figure out for himself how to do that. Atlan wants to know more about the war and gets transferred from Aiv to the Eru One, the flagship of the Gechutronics. Atlan witnesses a space battle and gives Mother-in-law Chuom a tactical tip that turns out to be crucial. The Chutters can now target their primary target.
When Atlan returns to the Atlanc, months have passed. The Balances infiltrate the ship and manipulate it. Atlan can drive them away but they always come back and cannot be kept away, even with energy shields. More and more areas of the ship's interior are changing or becoming inaccessible while the Anc is suffering from increasing confusion. Atlan realizes that the Balances are his enemies. They want him to leave the ship to them because they want to reach the Land Beyond Time, but are stuck in the Stormland. The Pensor says the Stormland and the Balances are products of a rethinking by Thez. In the previous trips of the Pensor, the Transgression Zone has shown completely differently, so he knows nothing about the Balances. They attack Vogel and take a tissue sample from him. Atlan takes a sample as well and the analysis yields the result that Vogel bears the genome of both Tolocestes and Balances, whichexplains the particular interest of these strange creatures in the Transterran.
When Atlan is outside the ship, 36 Balances attack. Although the Arkonide has taken precautions and taken combat robots with him, he is in trouble because the Balances have tremendous physical strength. Atlan cannot kill them, they can only temporarily be disabled. Vogel intervenes and drives out the attackers but nine of them attack the Pensor and threaten to kidnap him - a distraction maneuver, as Atlan recognizes too late. Aiv touches him and removes him from the Atlanc. However, the Balances have gained nothing because without the pilot, the Anc threatens to shut down.
Atlan is returned but the Balances are not giving up. Now they want to get the Arkonides to leave the ship "voluntarily." For this purpose they kidnap Vogel. As Atlan prepares to search for him, he is warned by Aiv, who is now on his side because she believes that her fellow Chuchar' plan is wrong. She announces that the Stormland will soon be under fire. Atlan realizes that he has been deceived: the Chuchars are part of the consortium and the Stormland is their primary target.
The Pensor finds Vogel but it is too late. The monster wave is coming.