On the planet Alluvium, humans are second-class citizens to the reptilian Peshari. Keller and his friend Cerna leave their human colony to buy a memory stone from a Tephrist, a Peshari artist specializing in cremation sculptures such as the stones. The lizards use these to honor the dead, along with their ashes inside. Keller's wife was the only human to have been buried in this process. Keller wants to buy his own death memorial, but the Tephrist is upset when he refuses to bury his ashes inside.

Back at the camp, a concerned Cerna visits his ex-wife Autumn, who is a doctor. Cerna finds out that Keller's body has developed a cancer and that he will die soon.

The camp chief finds Cerna and shows him plans for building underground chapels that was drafted in his name. Cerna recognizes this to be Keller's work and confronts him.

Keller tells him about his theory to rid the colony of Peshari presence. He believes the lizards have an extreme fear of being buried, believing such actions would curse the land.

Two days later, Keller dies and the Tephrist comes to camp to deliver his memory stone. They're horrified to discover that Keller's body has been buried in a chapel, now effectively a graveyard, and leave. This confirms Keller's theory, and Cerna believes he plant bombs in their buildings and bring the structures down, burying them in their homes.