Almost seventy years have passed since "1984, " the classic dystopian novel about a totalitarian future society, was published. Since then, the world has changed-and so has the future ... In this second novel of the Joad Cycle, teenager Gil Rose and his great-grandfather, Bernie Rosenthal, have taken revenge on the chairman, but not without a price. They are now fugitives. They flee to northern Maine, where Bernie tries to instruct Gil so he can lead the rebellion. But Gil prefers to hike the hills of Maine with his friends and make virtual love to his avatar girlfriend. Everything changes for Gil when HomeSec, the omnipresent homeland security watchdog group, discovers his whereabouts. When he learns that an assault team is on the way to capture him and destroy the town, Gil flees the destruction. He begins a new life on the road as a fugitive, always striving to stay even one a step ahead of HomeSec. But he soon learns that no one can be trusted. He's captured by former terrorists and held prisoner in the business town of Profit, a society based on the rampant greed of unbridled capitalism, autocratic government, and the new Christian religion, called Morgan. Gil's struggles expose how greed, ego, and the selfish appetite for power have impacted the country, but his adventures also show the power love can have too. His modern love story ultimately restores freedom to America but, more importantly, restores its goodness.