In the country of Giardino, only the privileged few are given their own name. Most are born to a number, a designation that determines who they will be, how they will spend their lives, and when they will die. The Numbered. The Nine of Compound 62512 is no different from any other Numbered, living day by day on the dictates of the capital city, Fiore, until circumstances force him to rethink everything he has been taught since birth about who he is and what his role in life must be. Fear is spreading as a mysterious virus ravages through the country and deadly mutations crawl out of the subterranean depths. Some whisper that the government unleashed the horrors on the people. Others blame nuclear fallout. Rebellion looms on the horizon. If all you wanted was to survive, how far would you go?