Six young people--each born with a disfiguring and crippling defect--possess the power to access the underlying string structure of the universe and thus violate the most trusted laws of physics. They must master their personal fears and escape pursuit by those who wish to command their powers. As they discover one another, they grow in power and sophistication, becoming, in the end, more fully human.
The story takes place in the near future, centered in the spectacular Southwest--the deserts, cities and canyons of New Mexico; a Prince's yacht in the Gulf of Bahrain; Bolivia–the cities, the Indian village of Ozumito in the mountains of the Altiplano, a terrorist fortress hidden in the ancient mines of Ozumito; an artificial cavern carved in the ice of Antarctica; the remote and uninhabited Malden island in the South Pacific; and in a a home-made satellite orbiting the Earth.
The story takes place in the near future, centered in the spectacular Southwest--the deserts, cities and canyons of New Mexico; a Prince's yacht in the Gulf of Bahrain; Bolivia–the cities, the Indian village of Ozumito in the mountains of the Altiplano, a terrorist fortress hidden in the ancient mines of Ozumito; an artificial cavern carved in the ice of Antarctica; the remote and uninhabited Malden island in the South Pacific; and in a a home-made satellite orbiting the Earth.