Los Angeles, 2047, the eve of the Digital Millennium. Cop Mary Choi pursues Emanuel Goldsmith—a famous poet turned serial killer—to bring him back from the heart of a Caribbean island in the midst of revolution. Goldsmith is being sought by the Selectors to punish him for his crimes. They are searching for Richard Fettle, a best friend struck by the connection between literary excellence and murderous madness, and Martin Burke, a psychologist who wants to find the source of human evil in Goldsmith's virtual Land of the Mind. In the distance, in the region of Alpha Centauri, an Earth probe with AI on board discovers life. And on Earth, the most advanced AI is about to awaken to self-awareness. Within a week, the greatest puzzle will be solved - the secret of the human soul.