The great experiment has failed, Rama III has become an interspecies battleground, and the intergalactic ark is headed for its final destination: the Node. To some, the Node is a vast engineering station; to others, it's a place of wonder and miracles. To the handful of renegade humans seeking the secret of the ships inner workings, it is a summons to final judgment. Here the stunning climax of the Rama journey awaits—the unforgettable revelation of the true identity of the beings behind this strange, glittering trek across the cosmos.