It is the Winter of 2212, and amidst the clamour for power in North America, Emily Asher assumes the role of 'Eldest Daughter' - her society's conscience in the Lowers of her adopted City. Ranged against her, however, are forces with their own agenda: the 'Old Men' - her husband's father foremost among them, with his insane pursuit of immortality; the great T'ang, Wu Shih, with his desire for stability at any cost; the crusading zealots of Joseph Kennedy; and the feared Black Hand, bent on destruction. Yet as the warring factions battle for supremacy, an altogether more powerful opposition threatens to push them all to the edge of destruction.