In 2176, a war rages on Mars, dating happens in high-tech "parlors," and humanity lives in citywide megastructures. However, some things never change. Body manipulation for beauty purposes is normalized and lauded, specifically the process of adding blue pigment to your skin through the use of synthetic drugs. While the drugs aren't chemically addictive, they are emotionally.

Twenty-four-year-old Charlie Asnieres finds these drugs as he attempts to make his way through early adulthood in an ever-isolated world. They help him cope with normal life challenges—the loss of his mother, career disappointments, dating stress, and his continuous battle with depression. He becomes obsessed with how they make him feel, but his use has consequences. Addiction causes him to go down a path of deterioration he never expected to be on, one from which he may never return.

Note: Artificial intelligence (AI) was NOT used in the creation of this book.