In a distant dystopian society, the government has started culling the population through a trial system. Citizens with a IQ below 110 and those above the age of 65 were the first to be executed. To continue regulating population growth, a lottery system has been devised in which random citizens are chosen for evaluation in court. Those deemed unproductive by the judge will be executed. After losing her mother to the culling system, Marin Brown has little hope when she is randomly chosen to be put on trial. Unlike siblings who hold necessary jobs, Marin is a writer that has yet to make a name for herself. On the day of her trial, she brings her brother, sister, and other fellow writers to testify in court. The judge questions them about what impact Marin has had on the lives of others. Her siblings recount how she has helped out with raising nieces and nephews and pays for all of her own finances. The writers confirm that they have found enjoyment in her literary works. When it is time for Marin’s own defense statement, the judge cuts her off and says that he has already decided on execution. She is taken into the cells with all the others and gets her turn to find out if there is a god.