Far into the future a small band of sixty people, led by their mortally ill Queen, Avon, is the last remnant of the human race. They live in a world that has been frozen for millennia. The technological achievements of the twenty-first century have disappeared into the mists of time and the members of the clan rely on the young for protection and to provide their daily food. These young people hunt with Stone Age weapons in their search for game which is desperately short. The harshness of their desolate world is not all that confronts this tiny group. They are being threatened by Torterats, mutant rats as large as dogs. Before Avon dies, she nominates her successor. Suddenly and unexpectedly a fifteen year old girl, is anointed Queen. Immediately she is faced with difficult decisions. Again and again dilemma faces her and each time the lives of all depend on her decision. Should the clan stay, or run to escape the Torterats? Is it possible to survive the passage through the forest of Kaldor? To save one, should three be sent to his rescue when all four may be lost? Above all, how does she cope with the jealous ambition of another girl who believed that she should have become Queen? The exodus is a traumatic time for the clan and for the girl chosen to lead. Her character and her courage are tested the limit. Around her are her quick tempered sister Biscetti, the brave, incautious Snotty, wise and thoughtful Mangrove, the tall, beautiful Dram whose character is badly flawed, the happy go lucky twins, Sola and Situ and the thin, myopic Cloud, who in trances sees the future and tells of it in words so enigmatic that even she cannot understand what they mean, yet all that she sees comes to pass. Adventure piles on adventure in this frozen world, testing the resilience, the skills, the intelligence and the loyalty of the young people surrounding their teenage Queen. The tension of danger is seldom absent, escape always in doubt. Throughout the story the characters continue to grow, some admirable, some loveable, some not so nice. It is a story of survival that brings out the best and the worst. A story that keeps the reader turning pages.