Unusual for an Anthony Trollope novel, 'The Fixed Period' is a story set in the future – in 1980. It is based in the fictional land of Britannula, where a group of young New Zealanders had broken free of British sovereignty and set up their own government. The novel is narrated by the first President of Britannula, John Neverbend. The story explores their radical attitude to the elderly population and their 'The Fixed Period' law, much advocated for by Neverbend, which rules that all citizens must be euthanised in their 67th year. As the population of Britannula gradually ages we discover the inhabitants changing attitude to a law they so enthusiastically supported in their youth.