Thena, the daughter of an immensely wealthy and powerful Good Man (the Good Men rule Earth), is in space, in her father's shuttle, when she wakes up. There's someone else in the room.
Fortunately for her, her father's tyranny has led to an interestingly misspent youth, with useful skills for breaking out of a space ship in flight. In her mad attempt to reach the station, she finds a message was sent, describing her as deranged. She re-routed, to where the energy pods are grown in space.
And learns that the stories about strange ships coming to steal those pods -- aren't stories.
From this evolves the story. It includes a musical performance, Thena's trying to garrotte someone and later fighting a duel with someone else, a long-ago piece of treachery between friends, a marriage proposal, a friend who suffered horrifically after an accident and likes explosions, views about genetic engineering, the Mules, biogenned figures from history, a man who no longer remembers how he calls Thena, action, adventure, and much more.