We find ourselves at some time in the future "After the Revolution", following the trials and tribulations of Jay, an adjuster/investigator who represents a vague computer system called WorldNet. It uses him as a check and balance to ensure that its decisions are correct and humane. He also catches and adjusts people who misuse resources and cause other kinds of mayhem. Jay believes he is an amalgam, a person who committed terrible crimes and was punished by having other people's memories forced into his head until he gained a sense of empathy and understood what he had done. He atones by helping WorldNet.

Odine was one of the founders of the Revolution and her quotes and musings pepper the book. Parts of her story are woven into the book. She became a national hero after committing a murder. She was also made like Jay, but in a different way. Her crime and what happened around it are known as the attack of common sense.

As Jay attempts to unravel the mystery of a priest drowned in his font he fights with flashbacks from his creation and discovers unsettling things about himself. He is pursued by the shadowy figure of Kervas, who might have helped to make Odine many years ago.