The Bontrager is one of a dozen settlement ships launched from an over-populated Earth. Their mission is to colonize likely suitable planets in distant parts of the galaxy. These are one-way missions for the small crew of 16. Each member is one of the foremost in their field and their purpose is to continue the species, thus the equal balance of male and female crew members. Each member is also a practitioner of one of the 16 major religions on earth. When the ship is welcomed by an unexpected, highly-advanced race of genetically-modified inhabitants whose average lifespan is a thousand years, they initially feel as if they've found utopia. Once they realize that to remain on the planet they must assimilate into the culture and undergo the same modifications, their Nirvana begins to pale. And once the Central Service computer system which manages the entire planet informs them they will be reprogrammed with correct societal values, the situation becomes adversarial, to say the least.