The story is about Valentine Michael Smith, who was born on Mars by the first colonists from Earth, and his first visit to our planet. Since Mars was inhabited by martians, and Michael has spent most of his unbringing among martians, he is a little different than the average human and also sees things differently then we do. It is absolutely one of the best books I have ever read. Other books within the same category science fiction   Archangel Protocol by Lyda Morehouse Memory of Whiteness by Kim Stanley Robinson