In a distant future, the world is divided into classes. The First is the elite class, including children up to sixteen years old; the Second is the working class, which includes everyone older. A girl from the First class and a boy from the Second class fall in love, but their relationship is pursued by law, because any informal contact between classes is forbidden. In search of a way to be together, Sati and Oytush cross the boundaries of the system, and as a result they learn the horrifying truth about how the world is arranged.