On an ice-crusted moon in the spur of Orion, the twins Hana and Bao search for life. They drill, release cyber eels, probe the undersea depths.

Dive by dive, their power drains low. The blood-freezing cold creeps nearer and nearer. Their hope fades in the dark frosted night.

Together, alone, they find strength.

In the poems of late Earth - the far East.

From refugees fleeing the storm-ravaged wastelands of deep China.

From a political prisoner awaiting execution, many faiths bridged by her death.

From the star monks wandering high mountains, seeding visions bright, drawing seekers afar.

From their father, creator of a floating village in the Sea of Japan, imitating the genius of nature in shells, leaves, and bones.

From their mother, survivor of the nuclear sun, braving return to the crater.

The twins gamble all on one final dive. They discover new life, strange, unexpected. They find in this life an intelligence, an organization, a spirit burning strong.