Babel-17 takes place in a future where humanity has spread out across the stars. We are also at war with unspecified aliens called the Invaders. Rydra Wong is a poet of great repute. She has mastered so many languages that the military approaches her to decipher an Invader code called Babel-17. Rydra decides she needs to take out a starship and crew and investigate the site of an upcoming attack by the Invaders, one that will help her understand the nature of Babel-17 once and for all.