Section 1 (pages 1-12) Summary

Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake takes place in a future world where scientific achievements and particularly genetic experimentation are the focus of society. Mankind's obsession with science ultimately allows the ethically blind idealist Crake to destroy human society.

Snowman wakes up before dawn, although it is impossible to say exactly what time it is because his watch is broken. Anyway, there is no official time anymore. He scratches his bug bites. Snowman has been sleeping in a tree. After climbing down, he wraps himself in a dirty bed sheet and puts on a Red Sox replica baseball cap. He urinates in the bushes.

Near the tree is a hidden cache of small items, including mangoes. Snowman takes out a pair of sunglasses with a missing lens. He recalls a line from a book but cannot remember what book...