In the future, mind control isn’t just possible: it’s a fact of everyday life. People are able to use neuromuscular movements to do everything from make a computer type remotely, to controlling machines in hazardous environments. One of the most notorious uses of this PXE technology, or "Pixie" as it is commonly known, is a punishment for criminals. Both the death penalty and life imprisonment have been all but eliminated as murderers and sex offenders are simply released back into society, with Pixie preventing them from ever becoming repeat offenders. Overseeing this system? A network of impartial, sentient AIs that only assume control when necessary. Or at least, that was the intent...

This is the world that Jack Andrews inhabits. A criminal lawyer in New Orleans, Jack specializes in sentencing hearings: helping convicted criminals avoid death or jail by opting to get Pixie installed instead. Jack is an idealist and genuinely believes that his job is compassionate and moral. But during a business trip to Baton Rouge, Jack begins to unravel the terrible and terrifying truth about Pixie: that the supposedly impartial AIs are secretly being controlled by shadowy forces. Politicians, corporations, and more...all out to use Pixie for their own benefit and empowerment.

Finding himself questioning everything he once believed to be just, Jack must figure out a way to reveal the truth in a world where everything is controlled.