Catastrophe had visited Earth and left it completely destroyed. But mankind had already bridged the galactic gap, and on the planets of the Centaurus system the discovery of the Memory Bank had brought man to the brink of immortality. The custodian of the Bank and ruler of the Centauran council was the most beautiful woman of the Centauran world, thousand-year-old Marian.

Lieutenant-Commander Merck was a non-depositor. He had an intuitive feeling of the danger of the Memory Bank: that it would Weaken the people, leaving them easy prey to hostile civilizations. He was to meet the ravishingly beautiful Barbarian girl, Iskra, who was to play a vital part-in his resolve -- to defy the powerful Centauran culture!