Mars is a planet divided. In the north, the bohemian Plutonium City teems with music and art. In the south, the people of Velo City are stifled by an oppressive bureaucracy with a tightening grip. And it is in Velo City that we find HR Watson, the sheltered daughter of a wealthy industrialist, and THB, her loyal but mysterious bodyguard who can expand from a tiny rubber ball to a nine-foot-tall humanoid with just a splash of water. To HR, THB is a novelty--a strange new toy of dubious value. But when she finds herself in the crosshairs of her father's enemies, HR will quickly discover the true extent of THB's power.