The story is centered around a planet discovered in 2014 called Kepler-186f, located 558 light years away, similar to our planet earth – it has a similar size, and it is within the habitable zone.
In this story, the planet is shown to be filled with life: there are all kinds of living organisms, ranging from simple plants to complex and intelligent beings, like us. The genetic code of those beings is similar to the humans, although more advanced. While it seems an exaggeration to present an extrasolar planet with so much in common, it is still viable. After all, given the right conditions, life is likely to flourish the same way.
This volume starts with a fight for the nuclear plant, which symbolizes the dependance of energy in an advanced civilization.
The technological and ethical problems of this civilization are explored in this volume.