M051, a philosophically inclined laboratory rat, shares his maze with F167, a female in the prime of life, and with a just-arrived young male, Y219. F167 lives for the thrill of the cheese and Y219 is eager for experience of any kind—``shock or cheese'' sounds like a win/win proposition. M051 has glimpsed law-like truths about their cosmos, but learns that leading an examined life does not exempt him from The Rodent Condition.