The humans in Rama III have failed in the mission that the Eagle had set out for them. The two dominant species of rama, human and octospider, soon become entangled in a battle provoked by the inter-relationship of several humans with the octospider community. Wether or not this situation is halted, the giant cylinder still heads for Tau Ceti, to meet up one last time with the all-too-familiar Node that Nicole Des Jardins and company had lived in...