English
Melanie 'Mel' Stryder is one of the only rebel humans left after the invasion of the 'souls'. After insertion into a human body, alien souls erase the human occupant and establish claim over the body and mind. Wanderer is a soul who has lived on eight other planets previously, Mel being her ninth body host. Upon insertion into Melanie, Wanderer is overwhelmed by the vividness of human memories, emotions and senses and quickly learns that she has not established full claim over Melanie's mind.
The Seeker, who is in charge of Melanie's body, starts to worry about Wanderer's apparent lack of control over Melanie's mind. Wanderer is bombarded with Melanie's memories and her powerful yearning for Jared Howe (her love interest) and Jamie Stryder (her brother), and soon finds herself feeling strong love for Melanie's former companions. She becomes desperate to find out whether they are still alive. On a road trip to Tucson, Melanie remembers her Uncle Jeb telling her about a secret hideaway he once made, and which Jared is aware of. Wanderer sets out to find the hideaway, with a vague sketch of the path from Melanie's memories, and is found by Jeb on the verge of death. She is taken to the hideaway, a complex of caves in which a group of rebel humans live, but is treated spitefully as they consider Wanderer a parasite in Melanie's body. Many of the humans believe she should be put to death and attempts are made on her life, most notably by Kyle O'Shea, despite the protection provided her by some of the humans, including Ian O'Shea (who strangled her when she was first brought there), Jeb, and Jared (who experiences powerful, conflicting emotions towards his alien-possessed lover).
Over time, Wanderer, now becoming known as "Wanda", becomes a part of the group's routine by working, eating, and becoming an unofficial history teacher by telling stories after evening meals about her experiences in former hosts on other planets occupied by the souls. During this time, Ian, Jamie, and many other humans befriend Wanda. The Seeker, still not convinced that Wanderer was killed in the desert, returns in a helicopter, but is unable to find the caves. Ian's brother Kyle attempts to murder Wanda by throwing her into a boiling underground river, but is unsuccessful because the cave floor collapses and he is knocked unconscious. However, Wanda saves Kyle's life because of his resemblance to Ian. A tribunal is held and it is decided that Kyle is allowed to stay, though many of Wanda's friends are upset about this decision, particularly Ian, who believes that Kyle deserves to die after his plot to kill Wanda. Jared also defends her, which shocks Wanda. Ian is also shown to be falling in love with Wanda, and kisses her. She tells him to stop because of Melanie's anger, and she is confused about her own feelings since she has been deeply infected by Mel's love for Jared. After spending more time with Ian, she realizes she loves him too, but Mel doesn't approve.
Jamie soon gets an infection and Wanda realizes that she can be used as a raider as she is trusted by other souls. After injuring herself in order to get treated by Healers, she takes the necessary medicines to help Jamie. The humans let Wanda help out on raids, now that she is trusted by them. Following a raid in which the Seeker is caught and Wes is shot by the Seeker, Wanda decides to reveal her biggest secret: how to remove a soul without killing either the human or the soul, a procedure that Doc had been attempting unsuccessfully. She promises to teach Doc under two conditions: first, they must send the souls to new planets without harming them, and second, Doc must remove Wanda's soul from Melanie's body and bury Wanda, because "she does not want to be a parasite any longer". Wanda successfully removes The Seeker and sends her to another planet, and the body the Seeker was in is revived. Wanda then teaches Doc how to take out the souls himself.
Ian is enraged at the idea of Wanda ending her life so that Jared can have Melanie back. He forcibly takes her to his cave where they reveal their love for each other and kiss again. However, she sneaks away from him after he falls asleep, still determined to give up her life for Melanie. Wanda has Doc remove her from Melanie's body, believing that she will die thereafter, according to their agreement. However, she awakens in a new human body whose original owner was possessed as a baby and therefore has no suppressed human personality, and it is revealed that Jared and Ian forcibly prevented Doc from carrying out the agreement and that most of the humans want her to stay as one of them. Ian and Wanda become partners and are practically inseparable. The book ends with the rebels discovering another group of humans who also have a soul among them. This discovery suggests that humanity and souls together may still have hope for the future.
Español
Cuando Melanie, uno de los pocos humanos salvajes que quedan, se ve capturada, está segura de que se enfrenta a su fin. A Wanderer, el «alma» intrusa asignada al cuerpo de Melanie, le advirtieron sobre los cambios que implicaba vivir dentro de un humano: las emociones irrefrenables, la abundancia exorbitante de las sensaciones, los recuerdos demasiado vívidos. Pero había una dificultad que Wanderer no esperaba: la anterior inquilina de su cuerpo se niega a renunciar a la posesión de su mente.
Wanderer se dedica a explorar los pensamientos de Melanie, esperando descubrir el paradero de ese remanente de resistencia humana. Por su parte, Melanie llena la mente de Wanderer con visiones del hombre que Melanie ama: Jared, un humano que sigue viviendo oculto.
Incapaz de separarse a sí misma de los deseos de su cuerpo, Wanderer comienza a anhelar al hombre que le han encomendado desenmascarar. Cuando fuerzas externas obligan a Wanderer y Melanie a hacerse aliadas, ambas emprenden una peligrosa e incierta búsqueda del hombre que aman.
Français
Vagabonde, âme très expérimentée, arrive sur la planète Terre, envahie par les âmes, pour une neuvième vie. Elle est insérée dans le corps d'une jeune rebelle, Melanie, dans le but de trouver des informations sur les rebelles. Mais elle se rend bientôt compte que Melanie, portée par l'amour qu'elle voue à son petit frère (Jamie) et à l'homme de sa vie (Jared), est encore présente ; Elle fait barrage, masquant des pan de mémoire. Son esprit refuse de partir contrairement aux autres humains qui subissent cette insertion. À présent, Vagabonde et Melanie partagent un même corps, et à travers les souvenirs de la rebelle, leurs sentiments se lieront. Toutes deux partiront donc à la recherche des rebelles, où les deux hommes devaient l'y attendre, chez qui elles espèrent retrouver l'amour et le frère de Melanie. Elles trouveront plus encore. Malheureusement, persuadés qu'elles ne cherchent qu'à anéantir l'espèce humaine, les rebelles n'aiment pas les âmes et ils se cachent, se terrent dans le désert. Malheureusement, Jeb, l'oncle paranoiaque de Melanie a laissé un plan nébuleux, Jeb la retrouve au bord de la mort et l'amène dans leur cachette. Melanie, longtemps mal accueillie et méprisée par les rebelles (qui tenteront même de la tuer) retrouvera son amour et Vagabonde le connaîtra pour la première fois en neuf vies! Pour la première fois, Vagabonde devra faire face à une situation qui la dépasse, elle trouvera enfin sa place dans un monde régi par les émotions les plus violentes et les plus belles.
Italiano
In un futuro non troppo lontano, la Terra viene silenziosamente invasa da degli esseri chiamati "Anime": esse vivono spostandosi nell'universo, per portare la pace nelle esistenze degli abitanti dei vari pianeti. Per riuscire nel loro intento, si inseriscono nel cervello di un essere senziente e ne prendono possesso, assorbendone i ricordi e diventando tutt'uno con esso. Viandante è una di queste Anime: prima di giungere sulla terra ha vissuto su altri otto pianeti, ma mai per più di una vita. Il corpo che la ospita è quello di Melanie, una dei ribelli catturata in extremis durante un agguato. Alcuni esseri umani si sono resi conto della silenziosa invasione delle Anime e si nascondono ai margini della società, cercando un modo per liberarsi degli invasori e allo stesso tempo di non finire in mano loro.
Viandante si accorge subito che la coscienza di Melanie è ancora viva dentro di sé: condivide con lei non solo i ricordi, ma anche le sensazioni, le preoccupazioni, gli affetti e i pensieri. Di questo ne viene a conoscenza la Cercatrice, un'anima che ha il compito di trovare gli esseri umani ancora liberi: vorrebbe sfruttare i ricordi di Melanie per stanare i ribelli che stava cercando di proteggere. La coscienza della ragazza, però, è molto forte ed è riuscita ad alzare una sorta di muro tra sé e l'Anima della Viandante, impedendole di accedere ai suoi ricordi più recenti. La Cercatrice inizia una tattica di logoramento nei confronti di Viandante per carpirle il nascondiglio del fratello Jamie e del fidanzato Jared.
Гостья (роман)
Пришельцы-паразиты захватывают планеты, вселяясь в тела обитающих там существ, замещая их разум своим и, таким образом, подчиняя своей воле тело существа-носителя. Пришла очередь и Земли, которая практически вся уже захвачена пришельцами. Но после «вселения» очередной души, Странницы, успевшей пожить на 8 разнообразных обитаемых планетах космоса, пришелец сталкивается с ситуацией, когда человеческий разум юной девушки Мелани оказался слишком привязанным к близким людям и сопротивляется вытеснению из своего тела.Душа пытается противостоять ей, но в результате сама «очеловечивается» — новые чувства и эмоции захватывают инопланетное существо, ранее не испытывавшее подобного. Они заключают союз и помогают друг другу, а затем и группе уцелевших людей, среди которых находят близких Мелани.
Некоторое время живя вместе в тесных пещерах, Странница и люди начинают понимать, что нельзя уничтожать другой вид разумных существ, даже если кажется, что иначе нельзя. Странница помогает людям выжить в мире, захваченном её соотечественниками, а затем доверяет им основное: душ против их воли можно извлекать из тел людей и с некоторой вероятностью разум человека возвращается обратно. К этому времени Странница стала своей среди окружающих людей и сама полюбила их; она хочет добровольно покинуть занимаемое ею тело, вернув его Мелани. Люди спасают Странницу от смерти, вселяя в тело юной девушки, разум которой не вернулся обратно после извлечения предыдущей души.