After barely surviving a thermonuclear war, Hugh Farnham and a small group of survivors find themselves in a post-apocalyptic world in which Africans rule and whites are slaves.

'The Uplift books are as compulsive reading as anything ever published in the genre' - John Clute, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION

Before the arrival of homo sapiens, five Patron Lines were established to govern the creation and interaction of species. Over time the Lines and the Galactic Library have been corrupted. But a human expedition to the sun begins to uncover hidden secrets. Winner of the Hugo and Nebula award.

This is the third book in the Uplift series. Humanity has contacted their Patron Line and uplifted chimpanzees and dolphins to full partnership. But on a distant planet occupied by Earth humans and neo-chimps, it seems the chimps have information concerning the location of the Progenitors.

On the distant planet of Jijo, five exiled races established by the Progenitors, live side by side. How they arrived there is no longer known - the only clues are ancient relics and fragmented stories. But then a craft appears in the sky, and it seems that the races of Jijo have not been forgotten.

Returning from a field trip, Isherwood Williams discovers that a mysterious plague has destroyed civilization during his absence. Eventually returning to San Francisco, he finds a female survivor and together they and their children build a small community, living like their pioneer ancestors.