La 4e de couverture indique :"The time is a future century, in the days of the Julactic Empire - a society of a million worlds throughout the Milky Way. The old Empire is crumbling into barbarism and Hari Seldon and his band of psychologists see before them only the despair of thoughsands of years of anarchy, unless they can create a new force - the Foundation - dedicated to art, science and technology - the nucleus new empire..."