everything is perfect; there is no crime, no unexpected death, and, supposedly, no fear. Vienna and Beckham, impressionable and ambitious twins, live in a utopian world where the government has discovered a way to control illness, disease, and misconduct. Yet, to stem overpopulation, much like the necessary pruning of ivy, the government of Carnot sends out letters to its citizens each month randomly selecting people to die. After their father's suspicious death, the twins start to question how random these letters truly are. A series of encounters with the so-called heir and a quest to find truth reveals that the government may control more than meets the eye. Can they bring together unlikely allies and restore Carnot?