Nigel is a 16-year-old high school student who writes a class assignment about a world in which teenagers become the leading actors in society, politically, economically, socially and medically. Unexpectedly, a publisher expresses interest, the book is published, and very quickly Nigel becomes an unwitting celebrity, subject to praise and sometimes violent opposition.

Nigel's a loner, not a social animal, and to his surprise a mysterious new classmate fastens onto him - and strongly encourages him to complete his novel. Where she's from is unknown, but Michelle is beautiful and intelligent and as it turns out, from the future, and the book Nigel's written has become in her time a guidebook for the youth of her day.

Complicating Nigel's life is the fact that Michelle has to return to her own time - and it's left to him to decide whether he must say goodbye to her forever or else join her in the future. If he does, he can never return to his own world, in a time where teenagers remain outside the realms of power and control.