Who and what can be trusted is a central theme in A Memory of Dragons.

From the opening scene of the book, men and groups with hidden agendas seek out Paul Killian, a young electronics genius. Their respectable masks are plausible enough to fool corporate officials. Paul, made wary by traumatic childhood events but basically a goodhearted young man, is batted back and forth by the various "cover stories" he hears. When both sides in a national political plot want his help as an inside agent, he truly does not know where his loyalties lie.

Paul does not fall for either story immediately. He tries to sort out the facts while he accumulates information.

His quest for information and truth is counterpointed by his emotions as he stumbles into his first serious relationship with a girl. He finally realizes that what is going on...