John is the Dardanian scout who is just finishing up his three-year stint scouting planet Earth. But he has a problem. He has a wife, Diane, and a nine-month-old daughter, Mary, that he must leave behind. Their existence is a major violation of the Scout Code that John lives by, not to mention a confusing set of circumstances that he must deal with internally.

The soul of science fiction resides in the world of social commentary, and the report John gives to the Dardanian High Counsel after he has returned to the pod about the possibilities and limitations of Earth fulfills that promise. However, while John gives his report, Diane, back on Earth, is left to pick up the pieces of her own life as a single mother who now has to deal with Mary as she has never dealt with her before. Mary, half alien, half earthling, is chock-full of surprises, and as Diane unlocks a series of clues that lead her to understand who John really was and now who Mary really is, her horror about her daughter's secret presents her with consequential life choices.