The earth of our distant future has become a strange and frightening place. Now, thousands of years later, two off-worlder humans, Anna and Joe, are sent back to the wild and unpopulated planet to try to begin human life all over again. But what they discover is a world far more confusing, far more powerful, than they'd ever imagined. Rats that seem to reason for themselves? Creatures that communicate in ancient human codes? What is going on?

Danny, Sam and Yoko have a few of the pieces, but they don't quite fit. Dead fish in the bay, strange shadows in the factory at night, and this dark substance that looks like oil, but that burns on contact. Someone, somewhere has to have the whole picture. People say you shouldn't trust politicians or the police, and maybe they're right. But what if you turn to your parents for help - and suddenly there's no clear difference between bad and good.