Since Lessa and Ramoth, her golden queen dragon, traveled into the past to bring forward a small army of dragons and riders to save their world from deadly alien spores, fear and desperation have spread across the land. But while the dragonriders struggle with threats both otherworldly and human, a young rider name F'nor and his brown dragon, Canth, hatch a bold plan to destroy the alien scourge at its source--the baleful Red Star that fills the heavens...

Pursuing her dream to be a Harper of Pern, Menolly studies under the Masterharper learning that more is required than a facility with music and a clever way with words. Sequel to Dragonsong.

When his boy soprano voice begins to change, Piemur is drafted by Masterharper Robinton to help with political work and is sent on missions that lead him into unusual and sometimes dangerous adventures.

Young Fiona, rider of the gold queen dragon Talenth, has returned from spending three years in the past, where she helped sick and injured dragons and riders to heal in order to return to the present to fight Thread. She is three years older and wiser, but all around her dragons are falling ill and dying, and she and the others are still no closer to uncovering a cure.

Xhinna, the first female Weyrleader, and her group of young dragonriders struggle to rebuild the decimated dragon population and protect the world from a deadly alien spore by collecting dragon eggs and protecting baby dragons from predators and saboteurs.