The story opens in the year 3039, which marks the end of the human race as we know it. The last human on earth was only four years old when all his loved ones died, and he watched the world fall into chaos and become empty. He speculates that when he dies, mankind will be completely extinct. He gives birth to a baby boy, who is called "jian jian," or "child." He tells the boy that he will give him a name: "you must be hungry." He says that his mother will try her best to provide him with food, but he doesn't have milk with him right now, and his mother hasn't been eating meat for a very long time. He wonders if he can produce milk without having to get pregnant, but his mother won't let him do it. He also learns that the baby has a habit: every time he fetches water, sews clothes, or cooks, the baby will stare at him. He thinks that this is a smart child, as the only hope mankind has for survival.