By the late twenty-first century, civilization is reeling from the fallout of decades of unchecked consumerism. Food prices and unemployment have soared to record highs, and the rationing of essentials like food, water, and energy has become a way of life. In a desperate bid to prevent global collapse and shrink humanity’s ecological footprint, governments launch a radical miniaturize segments of the population and relocate them to self-sustaining mini-utopias—places largely free of poverty, hunger, and crime. Bob Smith volunteers for miniaturization, hoping to escape the world’s mounting problems—only to find himself trapped in a catastrophe far worse than anything he left behind.