It is 2045 and fifteen-year-old Gaia has lived her whole life in a secret Naturist Compound built to guard and nurture insect species in danger of extinction. The combined efforts of the Ext-Pest Corporation and the government have plotted to exterminate all insect species in favor of chemical and robotic pollination. The Great Extermination began in 2030, with Gaia's mother leading the Naturist Cause, but after her mother's mysterious disappearance on a mission, Gaia is selected to navigate hostile forces to deliver one of the last queen bees to Scotland. Gifted in sentient communication and never exposed to any technology, Gaia must travel under a false identity guarding all thoughts of her secret life from the Mind Inquisitors. The world outside the Compound is beyond Gaia's wildest imaginings and filled with danger and unexpected help from kindred spirits, human and nonhuman.