The lords of a dying planet launch Piyat, a terrified "volunteer," on a voyage across the universe. She lands in Cold War America, where fear is pushing people to extremes. The Army captures her, and the CIA steals her away. She falls into the hands of a depressed ex-operative, a psychiatrist with a lust for pharmacology, and an Agency golden boy gone wrong. They turn her into the centerpiece of an MKUltra-style program to test mind-control drugs. Through it all, Piyat tests the definition of what is "human" and what is "alien."
Used availability for Susan Hasler's Project Halfsheep