What would happen if schools closed due to lack of interest? Time passes and technology is forgotten.Marc runs away from the family farm at the age of thirteen determined never to turn into a man like his father. He finds himself a small building with a fireplace in an abandoned city, determined to plan his own destiny. His destiny appears in the form of a small, undernourished boy named Justin. Marc's home is a bookstore. He eventually stops using the books for kindling and teaches himself to read.He and Justin gather a small group of rejected and orphaned children and move into an empty library. Maggie, who has serious problems of her own, helps Marc care for the younger children. Life would have been excellent had the evil Director Crassus not chosen to harass Marc. Their battles become more and more dangerous until Marc learns Crassus's plan to take everything away from the surrounding farmers - including Marc's family.How can a group of abandoned children save themselves and everything they are trying to build from a mean and selfish man?