In this science fiction novel, a Jesuit priest and biologist, part of a four-man scientific commission, grapples with a moral dilemma after studying the inhabitants of the planet Lithia. The Lithians are an advanced, peaceful reptilian species living in an apparent utopia without any concept of religion or God. The priest's crisis deepens as he questions whether the Lithians' society is inherently evil, a creation of Satan designed to challenge faith, or if it can coexist with human and Christian values. His quandary is compounded when he is given a Lithian egg to take back to Earth, which hatches into a creature that could influence the future of humanity and challenge the very foundations of his beliefs.

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