The Earth is dying, and only the colonization of nearby space gives humanity a chance for salvation. Five centuries ago, people descended into the dangerous Martian depths to extract precious helium-3, necessary for terraforming the planet. This caste, calling themselves the Reds, believe that their feat will not be in vain and that their descendants will live above, as in paradise.
One day, Darrow learns that all of this is a lie. The surface of Mars has long been improved, and several generations of the Gold caste have already come and gone. This fact is carefully hidden from the Reds, whom the Golds consider mindless worker ants doomed to be born and die in underground labor camps to ensure a comfortable existence for the 'supermen'.
With the help of a group of conspirators, the young miner makes his way to the surface, intending to dismantle the oppressors' power from within...
