2025

It’s 2025, and advances in gene therapy have led to the eradication of many once-common diseases. But the ability to engineer and re-engineer the brain has provoked fear - for it means that a truly artificial consciousness is within reach. The idea that humans may no longer be the only sentient species is so unthinkable that legislation is hastily passed. But there are certain people who seek to circumvent the law...

People like Beth David, a doctor conducting research into incurable illnesses. Like elderly Olivia, who has lain dreaming in a clinic for seven years. And like her granddaughter, Irena, a TV production assistant, who desperately needs to gain access to the shady world of genetic engineering. Each relies on an AI: Voice Recognition Unit ‘Susie’. She seems like the perfect servant – docile, helpful and cooperative. But unbeknown to all three women, she wants more than she has been created to have…