Six young men and women, probably the most intelligent, educated, brightest and fittest people in the world take on the challenge of building a Martian colony. Can they succeed? 2008: Earth is over-populated and recovering from mass pollution caused by excessive de-forestation. The result is an unreliable climate, leading to droughts that has caused food shortages not seen since the 1940s. Energy use has been restricted to preserve stocks. This has caused Arab states to become disgruntled. With UN funding, Russia and the USA have succeeded in building earth-orbiting and moon-orbiting stations and colonised the moon. Next stop, Mars. Ken, Ivan, Jack, Wendy, Michelle and Jane, all graduates of the United Nations Frontier Academy, have skills ranging from Nuclear Physics through to Witch Doctoring. They have been selected to colonise Mars. Do they have the skills and the ability to triumph, or will Mars be unconquerable?