Dr. Carol Reader has always lived for the lab. Brilliant and relentless, she takes on the role of leading a bold new experiment: the integration of human and alien families. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to leave her mark on history. What she doesn't expect is for her research to turn personal.

One of the subjects, Jane, is unlike anyone Carol has ever met. Compassionate, enigmatic, and striking in ways that defy explanation, she awakens feelings Carol thought she had locked away. The pull between them is instant, the bond impossible to ignore. Yet every step closer to Jane puts Carol's career, and her reputation, at risk.

Behind the experiment's promises of unity lie secrets hidden agendas and forces determined to see it fail. Carol finds herself caught between duty to her work and a love that challenges everything she's built.

Can she hold on to both Jane and the future she's fought for, or will the universe demand a choice she can't bear to make?