In the middle of the 22nd Century, a time when humanity has lost its grip on all forms of advanced technology, Sidney is one of the few people in the world who still has access to ham radio, and who is making use of this facility to keep in contact with three other 'hams' around the world.
With this small network of remote friends, he has been able for some time to endure his existence as a serf in what is now a rigidly partitioned Britain. However, he now finds himself facing a situation where it seems he will have to look to just his own resources to survive.
Through overpopulation, ignorance, and an unwillingness to confront the reality of their situation, the people of this crowded country are facing imminent starvation. For Sidney, who lives in the 'southerner' part of the country, close to the partition line, this means that soon he will be exposed to a wave of desperate 'northerners' as, in their hundreds of thousands, they move south in search of food.
This is the story of how Sidney seeks to save himself - albeit not solely through his own resources, but with the help of an improbable new friend.