Haral, a repairman working in and on the Shell, the outer layer of Geode, a Dyson sphere built around Sol with the aid of a few alien races who also come to live on the inner surface, gets drawn into a conspiracy of isolationism centuries in the making when a new race of aliens arrives unannounced.

At the same time, he's launched into the political/social media arena after a run-in with a streaming star, drawn into a scheme to gain "Pull," the social and economic currency in which all business is transacted in this post-scarcity society.

Throughout, Haral struggles with a possible love connection and maintaining existing friendships while dealing with the fallout of first contact, which threatens his life and his world view. He must learn to communicate with this "Rider" while a military force that's not even supposed to exist pursues them.