Time passes happily at the Stronghold ... at least for a while. Maria and James and their children have built a "normal" life, or what easily passes for one, going about daily tasks, with Maria trying hard to forget the bad times. And Adam. Knowing he has never forgotten her, knowing that someday, she'll have to face him once again, Maria does her best to enjoy her family around her. Alejandro too knows that the time is coming when he may have to face his mortality. Meanwhile, the droids are also living a fantasy life, one where they are almost the humans they once were intended to be. The children too are growing, even the unusual one, who has found a gentle place for himself, at least, for the most part. Into the mix come anger, and jealousy, and heartache, in forms that come from out of nowhere, unexpected and worse, hurtful in the betrayal. Maria, James and their children are swept up in the maelstrom of teenage angst, baby antics, droid humor, and ... the Threat of Adam. Now, Maria must put her happiness on the line, as must James, as must all of them, even the children, for the sake of their future, and the future of the human race.