When thirteen-year old Kaie learns that his parents intend to move to Lohland, which lies hundreds of meters below sea level in a time when "global warming is real", and that he must leave behind his comfortable home and the celebrations he is used to, he decides to hate all of it.
After a brief visit to the Scottish Highlands, which are safe from rising waters, he scorns his new city state home in The Netherlands. He scowls at his new learning environment, despite its freedom and no homework. He refuses to learn the new language or to talk to the other kids and he tries to get his siblings to do the same.
But once it seems he has succeeded and his parents are at the brink of a divorce, which will allow him to move to a 'normal' city, he has fallen in love... with the engineering works and architecture designed to keep the Lohlanders safe from rising waters.
Now he begins to see that global warming is not the end of the world and that there are plenty of things young people can get involved with to help. Suppose he could design the cities of the future?
Will there be time to reconsider his choices and start over?