The revolution will be televised. Welcome to Beta Union, a utopia with no pain, no war, only joy and contentment, which comes at a terrible price. This hedonistic society abhors personal desires, sadness and grief, love and family, and individualism, which do not exist among its hierarchy of needs. Grand Architect Crawford Lear, is the protector of Beta Union's most valuable resource, an alien hive mind that controls every facet of human emotion with the aid of mood-stabilizing aerosol sprays, inhalers, and syringes. Crawford has trained all his life to be the serpent in a cataclysmic rebellion to help Beta Union's citizens make their own choices and experience the entire spectrum of human emotion. Using his innate psychic talents to provoke disorder among the masses, Crawford aligns himself with leading members of society against a twisted government whose power lies in an empathic police force that monitors citizens with sadistic enthusiasm. Our hero's efforts may be in vain, for in the climatic resolution, Crawford will discover his true purpose as a pawn in a sinister plot to annihilate mankind.