The Fifth Sacred Thing

Imagine a world without poverty, hunger, or hatred, where a rich culture honors its diverse mix of races, religions, and heritages, and the Four Sacred Things that sustain life—earth, air, fire, and water—are valued unconditionally. Now imagine the opposite: a nightmare world in which an authoritarian regime polices an apartheid state, access to food and water is restricted to those who obey the corrupt official religion, women are the property of their husbands or the state, and children are bred for prostitution and war. The best and worst of our possible futures are poised to clash, and the outcomes rests on the wisdom and courage of one clan caught in the conflict.