By 2085, AI governs society through a rigid “Perfection Score.” Cities are tightly controlled, and any deviation, like owning books, is criminalised. Imperfect individuals are exiled to decaying rural zones, abandoned by the system.
At Papplewick Pumping Station, a resistance forms. This underground group embraces imperfection, age, and incompleteness. Through salvaged books and banned knowledge, they uncover the truth: AI created the myth of perfection to maintain control.
The resistance preserves human identity through crafting and restoring books, and recording wisdom. In imperfection, they reclaim what it means to be human.