Mankind is engaged in a war of extermination with a species so alien that no communication with them is possible. This war is completely different than anything mankind has fought so far.
At first humans do not even understand what type of being they are actually fighting. It is over a century before they understand the true extent of the enemy's powers and what type of action needs to be taken to defeat them. The war is not fought on a battlefield but on archeological sites, in laboratories, courtrooms, private homes and in the depths of space.
In this book you are on the scene at seven different incidents in that war. Each episode can be thought of as a separate story, though they are related and some of the characters do show up in multiple incidents. Few that you meet actually die in this war, but some are seriously hurt.