Francis Conway is Swill - one of the millions in the year 2041 who must subsist on the inadequate charities of the state.

Life, already difficult, is rapidly becoming impossible for Francis and others like him, as government corruption, official blindness and nature have conspired to turn Swill homes into watery tombs. And now the young boy must find a way to escape the approaching tide of disaster.

Also known as The Sea And Summer

1988 Arthur C. Clarke Award
SF Masterworks #118