Gruen based the story on bonobos at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa, where she experienced interactions between the apes, and between the apes and humans.
In the novel, six bonobos in the Great Ape Language Lab are already well-trained, including the use of sign language to communicate with humans. After an accident at the lab and the theft of the apes, the majority of the novel is devoted to the injured principal scientist and a newspaper reporter. These characters reconnect later in the story in an attempt to locate the apes and regain custody. The sections devoted to the apes are very interesting especially when the apes become attractions in a reality TV show.
Reviewer: Betty Giffies
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