It's the not-so-distant future'the waning days of the American empire. Natural resources are slim, the temperature is rising, and the fate of humanity hangs precariously in the balance. Following the burst of the population bubble, the people of new Seattle are confined to the remote, isolated outpost of a relocated and ultra-efficient city waiting for nature to restore itself. Citizen Nicolas Poole finds himself accused of environmental terrorism after unwittingly causing the worst natural catastrophe in modern history. A narrow escape thrusts him into the squeaky clean underbelly of the city where he realizes that while there may be a synthesized chicken in every pot, and life (and the city) may smell sweet, just below the surface subtle and unseen forces continue the eternal power struggle.Forced to flee the city, Poole and his girlfriend journey across the reconstituted wilderness of Washington State, where they find that life outside the habitat for humanity is a whole new game, and a shadowy government has unknown plans for the future of America. As civilization slips ever faster into another dark age, Poole must race against the clock to reunite with his missing father'a preeminent scientist with designs of his own for the fate of the world'and prove himself to history as a ?champion? of a different sort.