In the year 2121, society is controlled by Counsel, an all-knowing AI who logs and analyses every move citizens make. The unnamed city wherein 2121 takes place is under a hard-socialist rule. If at any time a citizen breaks any of Counsel's numerous rules, they will be expelled to the Outlands-a lawless wasteland outside the city walls, without the benefits of its clean air and water. Inevitably, from the depths of the misery of this society, a revolution is forming. A group called Defiance is planning a complex attack on Counsel, aiming to bring down both the AI and those who serve it. They have spent months recruiting members, turning assets in high places, and cooking up their own brand of digital weaponry-and now it's time to put their plan into action.

A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life.