Jefferson Brodie, a third generation Mars settler, fights to keep Mars free of Earth-based interference while expanding the mag lev rails to provide water for the settlers. Olivia Ellsworth, sent by the RPEC to sabotage the rails and pave the way for the environmental protection agency to take Mars under its jurisdiction, finds herself caught between the stubborn rail commissioner and her own code of ethics. Brodie gambles his reputation, career and the woman he loves to save his beloved planet.