The Wild Herd Spiders

When aliens descend on Planet Beatnik, fifteen-year-old Caralee, three-year-old Lissie and nineteen-year-old Danuel flee but are soon captured by aliens who make demands on their lives. The three are taught how the planet provides everything they need for their survival but are required to follow certain rules. One day the three of them capture wild herd spiders and ride them into the fruit orchards. There, they discover that Lissie can communicate with her spider, and Danuel and Caralee learn that they can mind-meld with each other.

As the story continues, it only gets weirder as Herd Spiders, Aliens, and the Planet Burska all seem to disagree on what needs to be done for the good of all.