一年前，在我22岁生日的那天，我收到一张粉红色的、散发着麝兰香味的卡片。卡片是由婚姻管理中心寄来的。我可以凭这张卡片去我所愿意去的任何一家机器人公司，领取一位机器人姑娘作我的妻子。
我的家里有兄弟姊妹三人，我是最小的一个。由于我不是独生子女，按照人口法，我、哥哥、姐姐，三个人当中只有一个人可以与天然人结婚。根据优生学理论，为了避免人种退化，妇女享有特权。所以这个权利被我的姐姐获得了。我和哥哥法定应娶机器人妻子。
II—THE BEGINNING
A year ago， on my twenty-second birthday， I received an orchid-scented pink card from the Marriage Management Centre authorizing me to choose a robot wife. I could go to whichever of the robot companies I liked.
My parents have three children， two boys and a girl. I am the youngest. According to the Population Law only one of us has the right to marry a natural human being. In order to avoid degeneration of the race in the light of the theory of eugenics， females enjoy priority， so my sister is the one. My elder brother and I have to marry robot girls.