It's May, 1978, and a normal night at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah - until a bogey shows up in their air space. It gets even stranger when the UFO requests permission to land. It changes its mind, but by then, F-16s escort it to the ground. A human girl in her early teens and a robot exit the craft, and a strange botanical lifeform is found onboard later that night by a USAF landing party. The vehicle, robot, and the strange plant are impounded and subsequently sent to Area 51. 

NASA astrobiologist Gabriel Greenley is called in to study this new lifeform that at first appears similar to a botanical species known as oxalis. As a psi-sensitive, Greenley quickly learns the specimen is highly intelligent and potentially dangerous when he attempts to take a leaf sample. He backs off, frustrated, and desperate to investigate the scientific details of this new botanical species that combines intelligence with a metabolism based on photosynthesis. Meanwhile, the specimen, a flora peda telepathis named Thyron from the planet Sapphira, is investigating his new environment through all frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as his suite of psychic abilities that includes remote viewing.

Greenley eventually gets his leaf sample and makes a ground-breaking discovery that he can never share, due to his security oaths and research agreement at this top secret facility. Eventually, however, he's confronted by an ethical dilemma that forces him to make a treasonous and potentially deadly decision.

A unique combination of hard science-fiction, suspense, intrigue, and a touch of humor, this story has been described as a "dark version of ET: The Extraterrestrial". Strong characterizations, a mysterious setting loaded with intrigue, and unexpected plot twists make this an unforgettable tale whether you're a science fiction fan, botanist, UFO aficionado, or simply enjoy a good story.