Imagine a world in which work is rare, pot and booze flow freely, and no one seems to have any real concerns--at least no one other than a few elites who run the New Way. Such a world may appear to have few drawbacks. After all, robots have relieved mankind of the tedium of menial jobs, and totally mechanized armies fight the wars in distant countries; even the infantry consists of robotic soldiers. No one is forced to do much of anything, and people are free to pursue their own desires.

Yet a father and a son, long separated but both initially dedicated to this New Way, become...