After stealing the plans for a secret Imperial project called Dead Eye, Rebel Spy Lyda Skims, code name Skimmer, is on the run. Hiding from the Empire, even her compatriots are unable to find her and the Dead Eye information she has stolen from the Empire.

Meanwhile, the creator of Dead Eye, Dr. Vacca, vacillates between his loyalty (and fear) for the Empire and his grief over the destruction of his home world, Alderaan. His decision to back one side or the other will determine who controls Dead Eye, and possibly shift the balance of the war. The Galactic Empire and the Rebellion are trying to find ways to convince Vacca to make the right choice.