Earth, four centuries from today, is in dire peril. A half-empty world, it is slowly destroying itself. The Terrans are drab and obedient. Instant exile is the penalty for non-conformity. Interplanetary visitors are restricted to reservations where they cannot meet native Terrans of threaten their self-imposed isolation. But Burrell succeeds in breaking through. He is a rough, tough spaceman with a flair for stirring up trouble. And he is determined to shake the world of his ancestors out of its apathy.