New York City
When a fascist government closes borders among the 50 United States, a female writer leaves New York to be closer to her loved ones. After a few years of living in her birthplace of Virginia, the writer, scouted by a large corporation to create content, enlists the help of her brother to return to New York in the hopes of rejuvenating her literary ambitions. Upon arrival, they discover that circumstances are much more dire than expected. All artists have been sequestered in the outer boroughs, living in squalor while they wait to be picked for government-sanctioned corporate projects. The writer is faced with a choice to assimilate or flee — until her brother inspires her to create other options.