After a disorienting encounter in London, off-the-grid journalist Joanna Hubble pulls even further away from society. Blogger Mason McCann finds himself embroiled in a novel form of nation building, and calls in some favors to help make it happen. Manicule discovers a truth that's hard to accept, along with a connection between himself and the hacker collective, Opus. Niki Jenks begins to stitch together a new kind of empire, swatting aside opposition and challenging the old guard to stop her. Singularity cult-leader Xerxes builds himself a new holy ground and allies with an old foe to fend off a competing faith. Political wunderkind Michael Smith is pulled deeper into the system, and the more he learns, the more he wonders if it's a system worth saving. And a mysterious woman named Celia Black presents herself and her organization, Citizen’s Solution, as a potential ally, or foe, to those who would change the world.