Alicia August is the only journalist in Silitra, a fifteen-year-old town and the last remaining settlement on Earth. Silitra's leader, High Priest Maté Akomo, has been violently murdered by the town's ex-doctor, Ianderu McConnell, who has returned from a mysterious five-year absence. The Aphist Order, which governs Silitra, has sentenced Ianderu to die by hanging. When Alicia finds discrepancies in Ianderu's case, she begins to question the validity of his conviction. But, as she delves deeper into the mysteries behind the crime, her entire understanding of the murder, the justice system and her own existence unravel. In a race against time, Alicia must uncover the truth behind High Priest Maté's murder, Ianderu's conviction and her own relationship with reality, before Ianderu is executed.