Sarmus was responsible for a taboo strain of thought where he considered living “at the front of the world” and this led to the ROC Uprising which was soon suppressed. Watching over the society Nosir is from is the Imkass Empire, rivalling Orwell’s Big Brother in many ways. Nosir’s hunt for clues about Sarmus lead him to some frightening discoveries that rock the foundations of everything he has ever believed.