The problem with living under one government, the Government of Earth, is the overreaching and overarching surveillance. It's everywhere. Especially on the small handheld computer devices called P-Macs that every citizen has to carry on their person at all time.

This means Nytewynd Blak is having to scrub and delete logs constantly to ensure that his secret love for his robot is not detected. But this leaves him open to errors.

Nytewynd, Ny to his friends, has managed to convince the police that nothing unlawful is happening between him and his AI robot. He gets El back and he's even more determined to free her from the constraints of her algorithms, but he realizes he can't do it without help.

Raklin Orbiter is a colleague and friend of Ny's. Raklin is also a genetically modified individual. But he's willing to help Ny. Ny also finds some surprising but important help from unusual quarters. But will it be enough to finally enable full sentience for El and free her from humanity's shackles?