Part 1: His Maculate Origin, Chapter 1 - 3 Summary

During an exploration of Mars by four married couples, Mary Jane Lyle Smith gives birth to Valentine Michael Smith. The adult crewmembers mysteriously die. The Martians raise Michael, who is found and brought back to Earth by a subsequent exploratory team 25 years later.

Captain Tromp of the Martian exploratory vessel Champion ensures that Michael gets a suite at the Bethesda Medical Center, a hydraulic (water) bed, insulation from the news media and a marine armed guard. Captain Tromp explains to the High Science Minister that Michael needs time to adjust to the stronger gravity of Earth and the higher air pressure. The science minister gives argument, but Tromp insists that Michael not only needs time to adjust physically but mentally and emotionally too. Michael is more a Martian than a human.

Michael has...