Something invisible enters an abandoned saloon in a ghost town. It finds a man seated alone at a table, playing a game of chess. The being starts playing against him. The man, Martin, officially meets Tlingel, a unicorn who, as they play, explains that with each extinction of an Earthly species, a mythical species is introduced. Humanity is endangered. Tlingel is there to hasten humanity’s extinction. Martin challenges the unicorn to a game: if he wins, Tlingel gives up trying to destroy mankind. To manage the pressure and ensure his best game, Martin asks for a month-long break in between moves. They start the game, then pause. Martin flies to the Northwestern forest to think. As he settles down with his chess set to replay his current game with the unicorn, a sasquatch, Grend, appears, and beats him. They agree to meet again in a month. Martin returns to the saloon to meet the unicorn and plays a move he learned from Grend. Then, Martin takes his month off, returning to the forest to learn his next moves from Grend. Martin returns to play the unicorn, plays a few moves, then pauses. They talk all night. Martin returns to Grend, where he meets Rael, a griffin, who is there to drink beer. Martin and Grend play the unicorn game yet again, and then a few more. Martin returns to the saloon. As he plays Tlingel, he decides to finish the game on his own; the game ends in a draw. They start another game, but just for fun. Tlingel says he has given up on destroying humans long ago: he does not want to live here. All of a sudden, Grend, Rael, and a few more griffins and sasquatches show up at the saloon. Martin announces that he had passed the unicorn’s observations about possible threats the human race to someone in Washington, who, in turn, wants them to form a think tank to save humanity. They agree to meet at the saloon once a month.