A secret threatens to upend millions of years of galactic peace in this "epic tale of visionary futures and scientific speculation" (Library Journal).Millions of years from now, humanity is driven to the brink of self-destruction. To save it, the world's great leaders create an elite group who keep the peace and safeguard humanity's future. Genetically enhanced, these Families are the carriers of Earth's greatest talents, a force unlike any in the history of mankind.For ten million years, these Families have dominated the galaxy. But then Alice, a brilliant scientist of the Chamberlain family, took part in an attempt to create a new galaxy. Her experiment unleashed forces that the families could not control, causing a catastrophe that killed untold billions of people on many worlds.Before she is punished, Alice visits her youngest brother, Ord. She reveals a secret that launches him on a quest--one that will take him across the vast reaches of space. He must discover his own true nature, and somehow restore the family honor. Sister Alice is his epic story.