Parable of the Sower

In the year 2025, the world is descending into madness and anarchy. Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the few safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. They eke out an existence behind the walls of their defended enclave. Lauren's father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others. When fire destroys their compound, Lauren's family is killed, and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.