Tears of the Willow is the story of Bluesky and Adam, created out of desperate scientific experiments in a hidden northern stronghold to continue a dying human race. The "Newborns" carry the seed for healthy, natural procreation plus the spiritual insight and mental powers to lift mankind to a higher level. The creators of these hybrid children would sterilize and destroy their abilities, seeing the maturing teenagers as a threat to their powerful hold over all of their closed enclave known as the Western Simulate. The story ranges from the glittering pomp of the Western Simulate to the rat-infested holes in the ground of the hidden Deform camps; from the heroic citizens of Duboice surviving against all odds in the wilderness to the Sanctuary called Brights where Barton bitterly opposes Bluesky and her younger siblings.