Hope is still a couple of generations away from Shindashir, but the ship is already nearly worn out. Sam’s family lives in one of most dilapidated sections, and he knows they’ll likely have to move to an even more crowded area soon. With his academic skills, Sam’s his family’s best hope for changing their fortunes.

He knows all that, and still Sam is strangely attracted to two things that could upset his chances of landing a scholarship and good job that will pull his family out of poverty—the greenhouses (a dead-end work detail if anybody ever saw one), and the captain’s daughter (a thoughtlessly rich beauty who couldn’t possibly bring him anything but trouble).

Sam must do right by his family, but he also can’t help his greenhouse fascination—or his growing interest in Eleanor.