Dr. David Christopher Meenins is a man in search of his past. Accompanying him on his journey of discovery are the powerful Lady Drasher Elizabeth Tasgneganz, the pedantic Dr. Virgil Augustus Grammario, the mysterious-and possibly alien-Linda Deemer. Dr. Meenins is haunted by memories of alien places and of a race called the Longists, who inhabit faraway planets. Together, the group travels to the one place in the world the Longists might reappear: a remote abbey inhabited by an order of nuns known for their wisdom, mystical insight and quality brandy. Throughout the journey, the specter of David Shanklen-once Meenins' patient and perhaps also his mentor-looms. Shanklen claimed that he was kept prisoner in an alien zoo on the distant planet maintained by the Longists. Through Shanklen, Dr. Meenins must confront the secrets of his past to find the New Restingplace of the Dead. Meenins' journey is more like a pilgrimage than a quest. The travelers exchange stories along the way à la The Canterbury Tales, and the discovery of the restingplace grows out of their long friendships.
