From the back of the book: "The 'Jewel of Deep Space,' the Glisten system has no habitable world, yet it is the capital of the Glisten subsector, site of a Scout base and a major shipbuilding yard, and home of the Mining School of Glisten. Its rich asteroid belts combine an advanced technology with an almost inexhaustible supply of raw materials. Glisten is a major industrial and economic powerhouse in the Spinward Marches. In addition, nearly every planetoid in the Glisten system has its own local culture and society. The diversity of the hundreds of worldlets makes Glisten a wonderfully rich backdrop for almost any type of adventure. This book concentrates on the five asteroids which make up 'Glisten City,' the government and business center of the system. Trade, business, scientific investigations, and high-level politics rub shoulders with gritty asteroid miners, huge factory complexes, shipyards, and interstellar intrigue."