In the year 2399 a cyboid (mark 17.2) with a human appearance is assembled to work with operatives from a government anti-terrorist organisation. It as assigned difficult and dangerous missions in the heart of London and inside the mysterious Buckingham Presidential Palace. Although successful in its assignments it is abandoned by its human creators as survival for them becomes more and more difficult. It languishes for 300 years before starting out on an exploration of the desolate country, only to find that rogue cyboids are terrorizing the few people left. A viscious battle between the loyal and the rogue cyboids rages in the ruins of the city of Bath. Some years later, after being restored and upgraded, the cyboid accompanies a pioneering group from New Zealand that intends to start a new settlement in England. A search for two missing men results in a perilous journey across a flooded country-side and the discovery of an isolated and perplexing community. The cyboid's ability to understand and duplicate its human colleagues' abilities both mentally and physically is used and appreciated to a point where it almost becomes indispensable in their endevours in the dangerous and inhospitable environment.