The Far Future . National governments have fallen, the borders of states have faded, it is time for enclaves uniting people on the basis of a common culture or ideology. The most dynamically developing society of "neo-Victorians", combining high technology and morality of the XIX century. Their main stronghold is Atlantis on the coast of former China. One of the leaders and main shareholders of the "neo-Victorians", Lord Finkel-McGraw, orders the development of "Bukvar for noble maidens" - an interactive supercomputer in the form of a book - for the princess and his granddaughter. This gadget should replace both the teacher and the parent and help them become true representatives of the elite. A talented nanotechnology engineer, John Percival Hackworth, steals the device he has developed from his masters and wants to pass it on to his daughter so she can learn to think freely, without the framework imposed by "neo-Victorianism". However, by chance, "Bukvar" falls into the hands of a young Nell, a girl from the very bottom of this Dickensian paradise. Now she has in her hands a device capable of reprogramming the future of mankind. And that changes everything...