A plague strikes down the residents of Defiance. The people blame the Irathients and place them under quarantine, while Nolan and Connor must confront the E-Rep soldiers to get the cure.
A former soldier turned bounty hunter pays Nolan a visit while on the trail of a Castithan war criminal, Pol Madis. Amanda wants to use the prisoner as a bargaining chip to get concessions from the Earth Republic, but Madis escapes under mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, Kenya's feelings toward Nolan cool, and Quentin discovers more about the artifact... and what some people are willing to do to get it.
In a world 30 years after the Votans have invaded and terraformed large portions of Earth, scavengers Joshua Nolan and his adopted alien daughter Irisa make their way through the wastelands. A quirk of fate brings them to the town of Defiance, where St. Louis once stood and where Humans and Votans now live in peace. Father and daughter soon become embroiled in a feud between two families and a murder, all of which is a prelude to an invasion.
Irisa has a vision that a Razor Rain storm is coming toward Defiance. While Nolan warns the townspeople, Sukar is seemingly killed... and then comes back to life and asks Irisa to help him on a holy mission. Meanwhile, Nicky tries to find out what happened to Birch, and Stahma asks Kenya for assistance teaching Alak how to pleasure his bride-to-be.
On his first case as Lawkeeper, Nolan explores the old St. Louis underground with Rafe, looking for a Votak criminal. Meanwhile, Irisa runs up against Defiance's Castithan community when she discovers they're performing a distasteful native ritual.
Two Defiance residents are killed under mysterious circumstances, and Nolan soon confirms that that they were torn apart by mutant Hellbugs. Meanwhile, Irisa is plagued by visions from the past, and Datak and Stahma try to reconcile the situation between Christina and Rafe so that her marriage to their son can proceed as planned.
Kenya is among several people that are mysteriously abducted. Meanwhile, Rafe tries to determine who gave his dead son the golden device that may have led to the boy's death.
While Irisa meets a face out of her past, Nolan and Amanda take a trip to deliver scrip for the new maglev branch, only to have their land coach stopped by jackers.