Ruth Miller, now a front-office clerical in the Department of Agriculture, knows she doesn't think like other women. The gene-altering procedure, that made her brilliant in science, left her almost unable to cope with other people. Fortunately, she'd been adopted by Gracie and Odel and their patient training has given her what she considers the best life someone from the bottom end of a two-class society could expect. Just as everything seems to come together, capitol political intrigues, and the corruption of a disintegrating society change everything.