A woman by the name of Iset the Protector has one job: to free the minds of people in the city. Iset wants to be able to get rid of the Tell in people's bodies. The Tell is an organ that is implanted into their bodies at birth. The Tell allows the authorities, or Watchers, to monitor the citizens, including what they see and hear. It also prevents them from getting near certain boundaries around the city. Iset helps refugees, the sick, and people who have lost their Tell find a home in an underground shelter. She does this with her friend and lover Orion, a cyborg who was saved by Iset. Unfortunately, her deeds are not looked upon fondly by the Watchers. Due to this, she is one of the most wanted people in the city. Now, she has begun to notice that not just the Watchers are after her. She spots a new bounty hunter, one without a face or a name. She looks to her best friend, but he is unhelpful. He has begun to let his humanity in, which has changed his thoughts and actions, but there is another issue; something else is happening to him. When the unknown figure finally catches up with Iset, it is a battle of life or death. Just when she thinks she has got the bounty hunter on the ropes, Orion attacks her. Now she has to fight off her attacker and her best friend. She incapacitates Orion in order to save both herself and him.