Manuel is a small boy gifted with mental powers that just might be the next step in human evolution. And now, Special Security, the secret arm of the government of what had once been the United States of America, wants Manny and the secrets his brain contains. Yet Manny has allies of his own: his mother, Maria, a computer wizard able to crack top security codes. Silas Swallow, a billionaire determined to beat the government and everyone else in the race to find a faster than light drive to carry humanity to the stars. And Manny's greatest champion, Pembroke Wyndham - Wyndy to his friends - a man with a secret as unique as Manny's own, a fighter who would give anything, even his own life, for Manny. Time is running out fast for Manny, Wyndy, and the rest. Can Wyndy keep Manny safe long enough for the boy to master the power which can set them all free?