Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive. With circumstances threatening the hive's survival, her curiosity is regarded as dangerous, but her courage and strength an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen's inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous.