Conquering this backwater planet should have been easy.

But the natives are fighting back hard. The bodies pile up. The bombs keep falling. There is no end in sight.

Jon is an Earthling, a soldier eager to serve his world. But now he's bogged down in the jungles of an alien planet. And the enemy is ruthless.

Maria is a Bahayan, a native of this world of deep forests and deeper secrets. Her ancestors came from Earth, Filipino colonists seeking a better life. But Maria was born on Bahay, and she would die to defend her homeworld.

Jon knows she is the enemy. That her betrothed, a cruel warlord, murdered his brother. Yet Jon cannot help it. He is drawn to Maria like a moth to the flame.

And this flame might burn the galaxy.

As the war rages, secrets emerge. Lies unravel. Jon and Maria discover shocking truths . . . truths that could shake the very foundations of their worlds.