John Michael Kirkpatrick is anxious to make his mark with his work on his father's university research project, LX8000, a female robot built to mimic humans. But LX8000, or "Lexi," as John Michael calls the playful, insatiably curious bot, has a mind of her own, and when she unexpectedly turns up on his doorstep in the middle of the night, she sets them both on a journey from the glittering city to the last outpost of human habitation. As time runs out, he must make a choice that will determine his own future: hand Lexi over for reprogramming, or help her escape from the people who bought her. Could he really be falling in love . . . with a machine?