Like every child in
Is-Land, all Astra Ordott wants is to have her Security Shot, do her
National Service and defend her Gaian homeland from Non-Lander
‘infiltrators’. But when one of her Shelter mothers, the formidable Dr
Hokma Blesser, tells her the shot will limit her chances of becoming a
scientist and offers her an alternative, Astra agrees to her plan.
When the orphaned Lil arrives to share Astra’s home, Astra is torn between
jealousy and fascination. Lil’s father taught her some alarming ideas
about Is-Land and the world, but when she pushes Astra too far, the
heartache that results goes far beyond the loss of a friend.
If
she is to survive, Astra must learn to deal with devastating truths
about Is-Land, Non-Land and the secret web of adult relationships that
surrounds her.