Two years have passed, and everything has gone wrong. Dark Ansley, presumed dead by the others, has been living in London, a city of contaminated outcasts, writing poetry with a dead actress.

The serpent Jude has stolen Emoli, the infant containing The Original Seed, and taken him to his lair under the ocean. Giant water-baring spiders look after Emoli while Jude works out a way to extract the seed, grow his DNA collection, and prepare his army of cherubs and Heli flies.

Marianne has received her instructions for The Scattering, harnessed her abilities as a moth, and, having entered the minds of survivors, located the remaining Growers: Oren, Valentine, and Marianne's old friend Beatrice, all of whom carry within them the seeds to the new planet. Dex has prepared the tree for the Initiation, and now all they need to destroy Jude is a vaccine from the Phosforest, but the Phosforest can smell humans a mile away and makes it a sport to eat them.

Only Dark Ansley, devoid of all sweat glands, can enter undetected. A carrion beetle tells Marianne that Ansley is still alive.

Will they convince him to lay down his bitterness and join their fight against Jude? Will Marianne's reawakened love for Ansley destroy her relationship with Dex? And how will Marianne cope with the jealousy she feels watching Beatrice and Ansley develop feelings for one another? Putting their love triangle aside, they must join the Growers, battle fire sprites and stag demons, save Emoli, battle June, begin Initiation, and prepare for The Scattering. Can they do it? Or will emotions prevent them from realizing the new planet and catapulting the human species into its next stage of evolution? And, if they do make it to The Scattering, will Ansley be allowed to join them, or will he simply explode for nothing?.