Johnny Declart has few friends at his high school, but only because nearly everyone has been brainwashed. Literally. The government has installed silicon chips in everyone's brains to control them. The only reason Johnny is different is that his chip has malfunctioned. But when soldiers come to his school to seize whoever is different and perform an operation to make their control chips work again, Johnny fights back. With the help of a rebel group, including the irresistibly charming Carter Hutchinson, they just might stand a chance of lifting up their fallen world. If it doesn't crush the life out of them first.