Flora inhabits the fifth planet of the Tolphan system in the year 2500, a setting where a supercomputer dictates optimal marriage matches. She possesses functional wings among her distinctive physical traits. Her primary action involves initiating telepathic contact, sending out a distress signal that reaches Will, an 18-year-old resident traveling to discuss his marriage assignment at an orbital facility. This telepathic cry compels Will to alter his course to locate and rescue her from an unspecified peril.

A significant telepathic connection develops between Flora and Will before their physical meeting. Through this psychic link alone, Will experiences a growing emotional attachment, recognizing he has fallen in love with Flora. Her telepathic abilities forge this emotional bond and propel the central narrative action: her rescue. Flora's narrative function centers on triggering Will's deviation from the supercomputer's planned spousal selection process through their telepathically formed relationship.