Charles Neumann is an engineer at a company called Better Future. Charles is perceived as antisocial by his colleagues. One day, he misplaces his cell phone, and he starts looking for it. In the process, Charles’ leg is entrapped in the hydraulic clamp. He tries getting the leg out of the clamp, but he ends up losing it. Following the accident, the company obligates three experts to handle the situation. One of the experts is Lola Shanks, who specializes in prosthetics. Being an engineer, Charles decides to design an artificial leg for himself. In the course of the process, Charles and Lola develop a strong relationship.
The company leaders are amused by Charles’ design and request him to help them create more prostheses for commercial purposes. The company rewards Charles by making him the head of research in cybernetics. Charles feels motivated when the company recognizes his work. Besides, he feels more comfortable in the artificial leg. Therefore, he deliberately cuts off the other leg to the amazement of his colleagues. Only Lola cognizes the turn of events. Eventually, Charles and Lola get into an intimate relationship.
Charles feels elated by having more prosthetics grafted in the body. Before losing his leg, Charles was anti-social. Ironically, he is social in this latest state. People perceive him as more robotic than human. The book explores how humans are obsessed with technology to the extent of sacrificing their humanity. Big corporations have embraced artificial intelligence technology without considering its impacts on humans. Humans in the modern world prioritize money and technology than their lives.
