In a near future, water has become the most precious and dwindling resource on the planet, one that dictates everything from the macro of political policy to the detailed micro of interpersonal family and romantic relationships. The land has withered into something wretched. The dust has settled on a lonely, barren planet. The hardened survivors of the loss of Earths precious resources scrape and struggle. Ernest Holm lives on this harsh frontier with his children, Jerome and Mary. He defends his farm from bandits, works the supply routes, and hopes to rejuvenate the soil. But Marys boyfriend, Flem Lever, has grander designs. He wants Ernests land for himself, and will go to any length to get it.