In the year 2,199 plus about 30,000 years in the approximate time of The Corporation, a prisoner named Dowling on planet Renod realises he is not alone inside his own mind. He meets the memories and autonomous self-awareness of Jones, a man who lived in the time of the Big Troubles on the former home of humanity, Earth.As Dowling struggles to keep the inner mind suppressed, a beautiful nurse is doing something that makes the battle harder to win. She's weaning him off his pills. She and the others in her clandestine group think Dowling and the voice he contains are their leaders.While Dowling thinks he's the furthest thing from a hero, he becomes involved in the movement. Will this unassuming man, his inner second self, and a small group of rebels be able to remember history and form a new future against an all-powerful enemy?