The Incorporated States of America is an Orwellian dystopia ruled by the corporations to which it is indebted. Authoritarian oligarchs break laws that have been declared state secrets, conquering the people by keeping them divided from one another by fear and disgust. Yet rather than fearing her God and government, young Zealot Christian Elizabeth Franklin comes of age when a tragic loss makes her question inflexibility of Faith. Led by computer marvel Mark Atlas, she learns to transcend the battle lines of race, class and religion, gathering a circle of unlikely allies through the unitive philosophy of Synergism. Together, they create a movement that is greater than the sum of their parts. Through synergy and love, the trail is blazed that leads Elizabeth's life sideways into a better world.