The novel takes place on Earth, sometime in the future, when government is vastly different, and technology has given humanity both new conveniences and complications. Into this complex political and social environment comes Valentine Michael Smith, a human being who was left alone on Mars by a failed exploratory expedition. He was raised, educated, and socialized by Martians, not humans, and does not understand most human behavior and motivation. He is befriended by Jill Boardman, a nurse, and Ben Caxton, a journalist, who enlist the help of Jubal Harshaw, a powerful writer. Their efforts to protect Michael from exploitation by the political and religious forces of the day provide the interest and adventure of the plot. Michael's determination to take his own place in the world and his desire to demonstrate the value of his unique abilities and perceptions provide the resolution of the problems that Michael and...