Finn's brother comes home from the war wounded, and kills himself when he can't cope. When Finn gets his draft papers, he decides to run. With the assistance of a draft-dodger's network he eventually ends up on the island, although not before he's knifed in the side. Once he's nursed back to health, he joins the islanders trying to fit into their seemingly idyllic way of life, but he knows he will have a price to pay for all this ...
Strongly reminiscent of Ballard's dystopias set in a claustrophobic near future, Finn escapes one closed community in the city for another on the island, but ultimately it is the journey that holds the key to escape from hell and paradise. ( )