Luke Garner is the third child born in his family and lives in hiding on his family's farm, living in constant fear of the Population Police. When a new housing community made for the Barons, the rich ruling social class of the Government, is built next to his farm, Luke discovers another "extra" child living in one of the houses. Risking his life, Luke travels to the nearby house and meets Jen Talbot. Jen is a libertarian and informs Luke about a rally that she is organizing. As Luke befriends Jen, he realizes that she is serious about her plan to march to the capital with hundreds of other children in order to protest the population laws. Fearing for his life, Luke refuses to go to the rally and is later ashamed of his decision.
After a few days of worrying about Jen, Luke creeps into her house once more to see if she has come back. Jen's father, a Population Police officer who is secretly against the government, catches him. He tells Luke the horrifying news about how all the children who attended the rally, including Jen, where slaughtered by Government soldiers. Sick to his stomach, Luke decides to go out into the real world and prove himself a hero. He receives a fake Baron I.D. from Jen's father, who has now become something of a mentor to Luke, and sets off to a Baron school to face society.
