Aboard an old generation starship that is slowly falling apart, young Ruby Martin is resigned to a dull life down below, fixing robots and doing other menial work. Then one day during one of the many ship incidents of mechanical failure, she meets someone from a different part of the ship, someone with high status who never interacts with members of her class. To keep him calm, she sings to him, and when rescued, almost begs him to remember her, hoping for some chance to be lifted out of the drudgery of her current existence.

Brenda Cooper's novel The Creative Fire reads almost like a tale of Eva Perón in space. Indeed, Cooper acknowledges the Perón story as the genesis of her own book in the author's note that appears at the start of the novel. Eva Perón rose from a low birth into prominence as the wife of Argentina's military leader, Juan Perón, and in her own right as the “spiritual leader of the nation.”

From equally humble origins, Ruby Martin begins her own meteoric rise in the society aboard the starship, from which the novel derives its name. Within the vast generation ship there are layers of stratification, from the very low to the very high. The grays are the menial workers, the lower class. The blues are the elites, who supposedly run the ship. The reds enforce the laws; they have no scruples when it comes to beating up on the grays. When the blue that Ruby met takes her under his wing, she discovers that having a foot in each world doesn't bring security.

As Ruby is lifted to the next level, her friends begin their own rebellion, seeking greater freedom. Although their ship is supposedly on its way home, no one on board is old enough to remember its origins, which are steeped in myth.

Much like in the Eva Perón story, or rather the fictionalized musical Evita, Ruby becomes the voice of the rebellion through her singing. She becomes a focal point for those seeking change, either through violent means or behind the scenes.

The book is a fast read. The story of conflict within a generation ship is aptly written and fascinating. The book's conclusion is such that a sequel is inevitable, and following the path of Ruby and her co-horts and future enemies and rivals a compelling draw.