The main character has grown out of the “apprenticeship” age. And he faces his first-ever trip beyond the City—a strange bulky structure that moves on wheels. The tracks are assembled ahead and taken off behind by a special Guild. Our hero belongs to another guild—the Scouts of the Future. He must scout a path for the city, but for his “baptism” he must go to the “past”—to the places where the city has just passed.
Then it becomes clear that “the past” and “the future” aren’t just directions; they are truly Past and Future relative to the time in which the city is located. And when moving into the past, very strange and terrifying things begin to happen. It takes a great deal of effort for our hero to return to the familiar city under his native hyperbolic sun…