This is Laplace's story. and Laplace's story is his people's story. He is the product of a society that never got the 12 step program it desperately needed. Known to others as the 'Calculators' and referring to themselves as, 'the Species', they are an insular lot, governed by (sometimes literally) binding cultural practices but few formal rules. Dissatisfaction born of bitter socio-political skepticism leads the Species to a sustaining, multi-millennial project. The scheme has its roots in determinism - the notion that past events determine future events. If determinism holds, a complete mathematical description of the universe is possible. With a detailed schematic in hand, one need only adjust the numbers to fit the desired result. The species is bent on the promised utopia. Their elite strive to complete the calculation in an unregulated, interactive model of global events, so far without success. A heretical suspicion that something is off with the entire project troubles Laplace. As he tries to get to the truth, the effort exposes him to scrutiny from those affected by his dubious choices, preconceptions, and personality style. He's forced to overcome or remedy the postponed consequences of past actions as he struggles with novel practicalities surrounding the requisite martyrdom of an omniscient creature worshipped as God by an eschatological sect. He succeeds beyond his expectations, but his discoveries are difficult to accept.