In the aftermath of the White Plague, a century of warlord-driven chaos seemed destined to end, when visionary philosopher Rezden and close friend and talented architect, Maxmillian Grace first revealed their plans for the megacity of Horizen. It was to be a "New Order" of reason, opportunity and justice - until the dream slowly becomes smothered by the very human rot of greed and hunger for power. Rezden's son, Gradlock, has twisted his father's legacy into a regime of terror, fuelled by the destruction of the last vestiges of what it means to be human. For Joss, a farmer forced to leave his ancestral valley for a better life in Horizen when persistent drought turns his farm into a wasteland, Horizen becomes a gilded cage. Instead of a better life, the New Order provides a never-ending nightmare as he and his wife Elisabeth suffer brutal abuse inflicted on them by Gradlock and the Supreme Council of the megacity. But there is hope - resting on the shoulders of those Gradlock cannot reach: Joss's young son, Gilbert has fled the city on a desperate quest to find the legendary "Seed of Reason" - believed by many to be the only hope for all, to end the corruption and abuse at the heart of Horizen. Meanwhile in the megacity, life is becoming untenable, and the cruelty of Gradlock to both man and beast, knows no bounds. On learning that a child with bad blood has set out to find the Seed of Reason, Gradlock turns his rage on the parents. Word of the quest spreads like wildfire, but well everyone knows, the perils will be great, the road arduous, and the situation dire as Gradlock's grip tightens and the screams from the city's compound echo louder. Gilbert knows he must survive the wilderness and return to Horizen to plant the Seed in the belly of the beast, before his parents' time runs out. Destiny lies in his hands, along with the lifeblood of his ailing baby sister and the continued survival of his parents - and the city at large.