This young adult book centers on a postapocalyptic world with factions fighting over resources and losing themselves to mindprobes and the distraction they offer. Spaz's seizures keep him from being able to use mindprobes, which means he is one of the few with memory. A journey to see his sister one last time leads him to be surrounded by a diverse band of characters, and the author asks us to consider the value of books and writing. What is the purpose in marking things down if there is no one to read? How ought we to live in a society? Do we live with less to share with all, do we hoard to improve our situation?