It's 18 years after the end of civilization as we know it. Slowly, ragtag villages of nuclear holocaust survivors are being relocated to a new society known as the Alliance. At first it seems like a dream come true to Eric Lloyd and his family. There is work and safety and food enough to spare. But the trappings of civilization wear thin when Eric learns that the violent human impulses that lead to crime and rebellion are controlled by pain chips surgically implanted in the brain. Eric vows to destroy the Alliance. But can he have any hope of withstanding the wrath of the Alliance's Major and his computerized Punishment Mode? And what of Eric's growing attraction to Nicole, a Guardian in the Alliance? Futuristic in setting but timeless in its message, The Alliance makes a stunning statement about agency in a gripping and entertaining way.