Commander Roscoe Cook, a gifted young officer, is promoted to captain and given command of his new starship. An old commanding officer once warned him about the perils of commanding a ship fresh out of teh factory. And, military contractors having changed little over the years, his ship causes him nothing but grief-and it's all he can do to keep everyone's mind focused on getting their ship ready to sail. Meanwhile, politicians and commercial interests are scheming to bring about a change in the Terran Government, hoping for one more amenable to exploiting the riches to be found in the star clouds and planets of the Cosmic East, where the aliens are resisting Terran encroachment. As the book ends, the principals are taking to the skies...toward whatever fate awaits them among the stars.