We will be soldiers, so our sons can be farmers, so their robots can be artists.
What could our future look like if abundance were real? What joys and heart breaks would remain?
In the 2080s in rural Oxgodby, electricity is free (for humans), work is obsolete, and mankind has colonized the inner solar system. After fighting in the war between Earth and her colonies and losing his wife in a robotic attack called the Awakening, Leif Thurman has returned to be caretaker for his childhood church—first erasing his mother’s mural to Robotic Universalism, a sect from the 2030s that believed robots have souls.
So, Leif is horrified when Andra, a recently decommissioned robot, arrives in Oxgodby to research the mural. He hates the religion it stands for and its reminder of loss: his mother never recovered when the denomination fell apart. But as Andra charms the townspeople and helps Leif restore the prairie’s native plants, he finds himself enjoying her company despite himself.
When the parishioners urge Andra to restore the mural, Leif must decide whether to help her or watch her fail. Only he knows where his mother’s research, which holds the secrets to the mural’s colors, is hidden. And even if he is falling for Andra, supporting her would force him to face his past.
