A human embryo is allowed to preview the world before deciding whether to be born. The embryo, named Prospect, is given a starter kit of human knowledge, and his consciousness is inserted into a synthetic twenty-year-old body. To help him make up his mind, he will meet a range of people. Among them, a greeting card writer who excels at sympathy cards, and Prospect's very own inscrutable parents.Trish Mesmer is the scientist charged with counseling Prospect, though she has more hidden agendas then a centipede has legs. Big Farm Technologies, the sponsor of the bio-experiment, exerts pressure on Mesmer to see a return on their formidable investment. At the same time, Trevor Grueling grows increasingly committed to derailing the bio-experiment all together, for personal reasons all his own. This cautionary tale is served up with equal helpings of whimsy and dread, with just a dash of hope.

Those who appreciate the trippy, modern world on display in the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or in the novels of the cool, Japanese writer Haruki Murakami may find themselves at home in this book.