Youth out of control… Citizens demand a solution. The Edict… A law enacted to deal with recalcitrant children lays the blame on their parents. Only a computer can properly change The Melane Galaxy's youth and turn them into good citizens. Chairman Sterling must force people to realize that parents aren't right for raising children. The Reporter… Susannah Tilotsen discovers she's being used by a government attempting to parent children. She soon realizes no one is safe from this new law. The loss of her beloved husband and her daughter being forcibly taken to Crèche Terrenium drives her to organize a group determined to stop this madness The Boy… Ripped from his loving home, Joey Dinaldo is taken to Crèche Terrenium after government troops find him living with his parents. He works hard to be a good citizen and obey the rules but soon discovers he can't support a system designed to turn children into uncaring robots. The Computer… Master, the computer system that will raise these children, controls every second of their lives. Yet, there is no one to maintain the machine. The computer never thinks it needs to be repaired, even as the control it exerts slowly erodes. It is perfect, and fights to keep from being destroyed. Rebels refuse to stop fighting until they have closed down the Crèche system and returned the children to their parents. Or find them a guardian. All of them are willing to do whatever it takes to end this madness… but at what cost?