Halfbreeds centers around 8 children in a futuristic puritan society. The children are half-human and half-'schump', a tribe of monstrous creatures that live in the woods near the human village. The humans consider the children 'demons' and drive them away, sometimes burning them at the stake. (Think a tribe of little Quasimodos.) Through the events of the story, as they struggle to rise above their situation, the children battle to view themselves apart from the human's perception of them as pure evil. They resolve to be good, and in their own bumbling attempts, strive for that goal.