Ed Bush lives with his family in the coastal settlement of Chelmsford in South Britain, one of the United States of Europe. Their way of life is dictated entirely by the government known as Europarl. Every year at a four day celebration of human rights the people coming of age are assigned to their posts within the country.

Ed doesn't think there is anything he can do about it until he meets an old man on the beach who lives outside the system, unknown to Europarl. Ed is recruited to join a rebel group and plans are made for him to leave with the old man, when he is distracted by the arrival of his new stepsister , Suzie.

Will Ed leave with the rebels or stay with his family and accept his fate?