In a world where jobs are scarce, in a city where only 20% of the population is employed leaving 80% permanently out of work, a young woman, Izia, struggles to survive. She was born in what they call "the Zone". It's where all the jobless live, delineated by a Wall separating it from the City (where jobs still exist). Over time, tension has mounted between the two territories: some of the jobless have formed an uprising. This group, called the Activists, is stepping up acts of sabotage and pressure, and the balance of power has become tenuous. In an effort to calm things down, the Government has implemented a "Solidarity Job Act": 10,000 inhabitants will be selected from the Zone to work in the City, and will be paid as a result. For Izia, this is the chance of a lifetime: she absolutely has to find a way to be recruited.