The distant future. National governments have fallen, state boundaries have been erased, and the time has come for enclaves that unite people based on a common culture or ideology. The society of the “neo-Victorians” is developing most dynamically, combining high technology and morality of the 19th century. Their main stronghold is Atlantis on the coast of former China. One of the leaders and main shareholders of the “neo-Victorians,” Lord Finkel-McGraw, orders the development of “A Primer for Noble Maidens” - an interactive supercomputer in the form of a book - for the princess and his granddaughter. This gadget should replace both the teacher and the parent and help them become true representatives of the elite. A talented nanotechnology engineer, John Percival Hackworth, steals the device he developed from his masters and wants to give it to his daughter so that she can learn to think freely, without the limits imposed "neo-Victorianism". However, by chance, the Primer falls into the hands of young Nell, a girl from the very bottom of this Dickensian paradise. Now she has a device in her hands that can reprogram the future of humanity. And this changes everything...