Humans across the plains and in crowded cities watch in horror as their planet writhes in agony.

When Adjudicator Dwttiz of the Council for Planetary Evolution arrives to assess why his predecessor, Ahat, has not reported in for centuries, he encounters a situation that his kind are dispatched across the galaxy to prevent: a planet with nuclear capability whose dominant species are acting with cruel indifference toward one another, their fellow species, and the planet itself. Annihilation of this species is clearly his only option.

When Dwttiz bilocates from his ship among the inhabitants, in preparation for issuing the command that will eradicate all instances of human DNA, he is touched by their love for one another and by the luminous understanding preserved in their museums and libraries.

Meanwhile, Jonathan has no memory of why he has lived on this planet for thousands of years and doesn't age like everyone around him. Will he remember that he was the Adjudicator, Ahat, sent here to protect Planet Earth?

Will Patrick, who committed suicide and has been sent back to Earth by an assembly of the dead, be able to remind Jonathan who he really is? Will enough humans overcome their belief that the world has already passed a point where their actions matter?

Will David, Joanna, Sharon, Ananda, Patrick's grieving father Richard, Barry, Peter, and Betty-who, like most human beings around the globe, feel personally unable to halt the disappearing ice caps, the burning forests, and the rising seas flooding coastal cities-discover that their actions can matter if they work together?

Will Mother Earth find a way to awaken her troublesome child, the human species, before their ignorance and greed cause the destruction of all living beings, or will alien protectors be forced to annihilate humanity to protect Earth's other children?