Sturgeon presents a compelling story in three parts about a group of what one might call mutants-four children and an infant with interpersonal or developmental problems but each possessing a gift. Leading the group is a simple-minded young man named Lone who compensates for his limited vocabulary through impressive telepathic abilities. He connects with a runaway girl, Janie, who not only has telekinetic powers but is the only one able to communicate with Baby, an infant with Down syndrome who has immense knowledge of the world. Rounding out the group are two girls who can teleport at whim, but must do so naked.
Together, these misfits embody something beyond homo sapiens. They adopt the term homo gestalt as they use their abilities to advance their lot in life until Lone is killed and replaced by Gerald, another young man of similar telepathic abilities. Unlike Lone, Gerald’s power is coupled with an immense intellect and a lack of compassion for his targets.
Sturgeon does a masterful job of portraying the relationship between the five main characters as well as their interactions with normal humans, including one Army lieutenant named Hip Barrows who stumbles upon an antigravity device invented by Baby and planted in a field by Lone to help the farmer who adopted him at a young age. After finding the device, Barrows is soon driven mad in his search for the truth behind it even when the device and all of his notes mysteriously vanish thanks to Gerald and Janie.
