Elira has lived in the complex since she was two-years old. She is one of the lucky ones because the world is now a toxic and terrible place. The complex provides a safe haven for those whose parents can afford to send them there. Elira’s unique purple birthmark earns her mean comments from her peers, but it doesn’t bother her. It reminds her that everyone on earth has deformities either internal or external. Turning sixteen and moving into the glass dorm is the event she has been dreaming about for years. For the first time in her life she’ll get to meet boys her age, even if it is only through a large glass window in the school room.

After escaping the complex, Elira finds herself in a world of unknowns. Hiding from the government, learning to trust parents she can't remember, and interacting with boys in close quarters leave her feeling insecure about herself and the future. She desperately wants her friends to find the same happiness she has found with her own parents, but the realities of life make reuniting with their families difficult and full of risk. Even though she has escaped the complex, the Complex Law still threatens her life and safety.

Furious that her best friend has been betrayed and taken back to the Complex of Undesirables, Elira focuses her rage on taking down everything and everyone connected with the Complex. Friends and enemies are acquired as Elira faces down those who uphold the Complex Law. With election day looming closer, Elira sees a glimmer of hope that the efforts to get her brother elected may actually work, but politics is a treacherous war zone with uncertain results and powerful enemies. All Elira knows is that those disgusted with "flawed" people like herself cannot keep depriving so many citizens of their rights. Something must be done and soon.