Blackrock

The colonists on The Plots believe they are the last bastion of humanity. Determined to avoid the tribalism and competition that led to Earth's collapse, they establish a communal society in which everyone shares the workload and benefits from their collective labor. But they can't ignore the message they received: "We are here." 

The Council sends Drake and Kelsey in a small spacecraft to find the people transmitting the message. Ambassador Kelsey's mission is to reconnect her planet with what remains of the human race, while Drake, the pilot, seeks to start a new life away from the communal tyranny of The Plots, placing them on separate paths. Upon arrival on Blackrock, they discover a world built on trade among other surviving human colonies, where everything has a price. Gaining access to the intergalactic trading system would bring major technological advances to The Plots, but it threatens their agricultural society and the community values their ancestors worked to preserve. Facing off with the barons of Blackrock, Kelsey and Drake try to protect their Plots through negotiation and subterfuge.