Celan Mairs, now 18 years old and known as Lana Timanti, has been raised to be a model citizen of Albakirk - ever since she left her home in the ranchos and was discovered by her father, Theodore, at age 11. As she strives to win a coveted spot as a SocEn trainee, she is forced to cope with some unexpected emotional fallout that threatens to derail her efforts. Meanwhile, Theodore is focused on his own goal: Gathering the support needed to make Albakirk the first city-state on a long-ruined Earth to establish a permanent colony on Mars.

But her father's fellow Lead SocEn, Ariana...