Religious extremists won the Great War and a worldwide societal structure was imposed under the law of 'their' goddess. The lowest official tier - Level Three Citizenship - is one step away from slavery and the majority of the population opt out of the system altogether. These 'bottom levellers' struggle for survival in a world where technology is almost indistinguishable from magic and artifical lifeforms are hostile to their very existence.
Artuto Basilides is the one in ten billion - an internet-educated outlaw with exceptional intellect and strong survival instincts. Traumatised and drug-ravaged, he spend his life day-dreaming and trying to brighten his pitiful existence. Arturo ran away from an orphanage when he was twelve years old and now lives with his gang in an abandoned building. Together, they roam the shadows of Sky City - a two mile high playground for the privileged few. The teenagers survive adverse conditions due to remarkable self-sufficiency and they treat life as an endless narcotic-fuelled party.
Arturo's old friend Smig offers a chance to earn some real money and introduces him to a man called Jardine. Our hero finds himself sucked into a rebellion against the religious elite and he faces ethical dilemmas along the way, due to that old adage -one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist.