At the early dawn of history, a passionate eighteen-year-old man named Emmanuel lives in Eden, a forest paradise with no rules and no regrets. The unbridled pursuit of physical desire and rampant violence constitute the order of the day. Emmanuel enjoys a carefree life, romping with his friends and frolicking with the ladies. But when a young woman's angry relatives confront him over her unborn child-a child he denies fathering-a sequence of events is initiated that entirely transform's Emmanuel's life and forces the people of Eden- humanity's ancestors- into a world the like of which they have never known. Looming over the destiny of Emmanuel's primitive world, Adam is a deeply revered holy man whose superhuman sagacity, foresight and wisdom have earned him the unquestioning obedience of high and low alike. Living faithfully alongside an impossibly beautiful woman, Eve, he has long lamented the perversity and savagery of his people. When a remarkable young woman falls in love with a misguided young man who has already killed most of her relatives, Adam decides that it is time for Eden to change. He exhorts people to marry and live moral lives. When his admonitions fall on deaf ears, Adam, encouraged by Eve, proclaims himself king and leads the people out of the forest-garden and into a new land. At the center of these developments, Cain, Abel, and Seth, Adam's three sons, have big plans for humanity's life on Earth. With his new wife, Sarah, and infant daughter, both of whom he has come to love more dearly than life itself, Emmanuel must navigate the bounties and pitfalls of this new land. He just wants his wife and children to be happy. But what happens when Cain and Abel, the two mightiest of Earth's leaders, get involved in a destructive power struggle that threatens to draw all of humanity into its vortex?