In the city of At il there were two laws strictly enforced:

Number one, it was against the law to feed the children and number two,it was against the law to leave the city. Fox, the thirteen-year-old son of the governor, had done both.

When he and two friends; eight-year-old Hawk and Wolf, age twelve, were invited to visit a family compound outside the city, Fox deliberated hard and long about the situation. Breaking the law, as a loner, was one thing but when it involved others the decision was much more difficult. It brought back memories of his first time outside the city walls; the broad, unending space of earth and sky he experienced had been a shock to his well-being. It had taken him some time before the freedom of boundaries was a comfortable experience. He was afraid this unknown may be too much of an adjustment for his friends since they had never ventured further than the guard-shack steps at the city entrance.

True---he and his friends were only children;

numbers on the city records. If they were ever found missing, as Throwaways they would just be crossed off the list of city residents.