The novel, originally published in 1949, opens with the Earth readying for war in the "future" of 1999, and finds the first explorers sent to Mars in an effort to forge new ground for civilization. Simultaneously, the inhabitants of Mars, a race of highly intelligent and civilized humanoid creatures of light brown skin and yellow eyes, are living peacefully in their centuries-old homes, built of the native grasses and materials of a dry, yet thriving planet. Their lives, much like those of Earth's population, center on literature, religion, music, nature, and the relationships they have with one another, and with their history.

Communicating telepathically, the Martian population knows of the explorers' arrival long before the first rocket lands in Green Valley. Strange thoughts in a new language begin to fill their heads, while songs not yet heard on Mars begin to flow from the lips of the young...