Captain Davidson is the commander of Smith logging camp where he directs native Athshean slave labor. He cherry picks the most hard working of them to be his own personal servants. Davidson goes to the headquarters of the Terran colony, Centralville, because a group of women have just arrived and he is intent upon a sexual encounter. The colony is comprised mostly of men and Captain Davidson is feeling starved of female sexual attention. He spends several days at Centralville before traveling back to Smith camp, and when he returns he finds that everything has changed.
The formerly peaceful Athsheans have revolted. They have killed all of the humans at the camp and have burned it to the ground. Davidson is "jumped" by four Athsheans, one of whom was one of his servants. Davidson had raped the servant's wife a few months earlier, and she had died soon afterwards, which has changed something in Selver and he attacks Davidson. Davidson is a strong man and he almost kills Selver, and would have done had it not been for the interference of Lyobov, the camp anthropologist. After they have overpowered Davidson they allow him to leave so that he can tell the other humans about the rebellion.
Selver is still emotionally unstable. He takes five days to leave the camp and find another Athshean settlement. He tells the inhabitants about what has happened at Smith camp, and also about his former home town of Eshreth, which was demolished by the Terrans so that they could build their headquarters in its place. He tells them that Athsheans are being held against their will and used as slaves by the Terrans. There is a discussion about what they should do next, They decide to send emissaries to other towns so that Selver's story can be shared, and Selver elects to go to Terran Headquarters.
At Centralville, an enquiry into the rebellion at Smith Camp has already begun. Lyubov believes the Terrans have brought this rebellion on themselves because they have treated the Athsheans so badly. Colonel Dongh, the commander of the colony, turns on Lyubov. He is angry that Lyubov classified the Athsheans as non-violent when they are clearly the opposite. The meeting is interrupted by a communication from the Athsheans, whose messengers tell the colonists that they are now a member of The League of Worlds and that they will have minimal contact with the Athsheans from this day forward. All slaves will be given their freedom. Davidson is relocated to a smaller camp but takes this very badly, defying his superiors' instructions and leading further attacks on the Athsheans.
Lyubov arranges a meeting with Selver, as they have previously had a good relationship,but Selver is very distant towards him. Selver warns him to stay away from Centralville; two days later he leads an attack on the Terran headquarters, although he avoids Lyubov's house as he likes the man and bears him no ill will. Unfortunately for Lyubov, who would have survived the uprising had he stayed in his house, he decides to go outside during the attack and is kill as he walks by a building as it collapses.
There is a mass extermination of Terran women. The men who remain alive are imprisoned Selver tells them that this attack is retaliation for attacks that Davidson carried out unbeknownst to them; once again his tendency to go off on his own authority has caused trouble for his fellow Terrans. Selver gives them the Athshean terms of engagement; the Terrans will be left alone, if they confine themselves to their own area and avoid contact or conflict with the Athsheans. They will leave the colony all together as soon as a Terran ship can come and take them. The survivors agree to the terms.
Predictably, Davidson goes off script and continues to attack the Athsheans. The Athsheans attack his camp, and kill everyone apart from Davidson and two others; the three escape by the skin of their teeth in a helicopter. His two compatriots want to go to Centralville but Davidson refuses to as he wants to continue fighting. The helicopter crashes, killing both of his companions, but Davidson, who seems to have nine lives, escapes with his life. He is captured and taken to Selver's offie. Selver tells Davidson that he has every right to kill him for what he has done, but he will not, because there is no ethical reason or necessity for him to do so. Instead they put him into exile on an island that his logging efforts have left barren.
Fast forward three years...
The Terran ships arrive to take the survivors home. They promise that they will only return as scientists and ecological observers. Selver tells the Terrans and his fellow Athsheans that Lyubov's efforts to protect them will never be forgotten. Selver is troubled because his people have emerged victorious and won their planet back from the Terrans, but in order to do so, they have learned how to kill, and changed the philosophical landscape of their own lives forever.
