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The unnamed protagonist, Melvin Gregg, wakes up in his underwear in a spare, prison-like room with no memory of how he arrived. A wall-mounted, rudimentary computer watches his every move and rewards him with credits whenever he performs actions that often reduce him to looking foolish. Those credits let him buy basic goods or services to survive inside the claustrophobic space.

At first he believes he is alone, until a surly older man—Bradley Whitford—appears in a picture-in-picture window on his monitor. The older man has been trapped in another room for a long time, and he reveals that many others are scattered across the system, though they can only be observed, not reached. The two men clash at first but soon strike a bargain: the older man coaches the protagonist in crafting a comedic persona to draw more followers and credits, while the protagonist shares some of his earnings to help the older man survive.

With rising fame, the protagonist makes contact with a woman obsessed with escaping, Alice Braga. Together they dream of a broader rebellion that could free everyone inside the system after the older man meets a tragic end.

Just as the plan starts to take shape, another woman—Danielle Campbell—speaks from a different angle, urging him to accept their fate and seek happiness within the system. [Alice Braga] suspects Danielle is a system agent sent to sabotage the movement, and the protagonist struggles to decide who to trust. As he tries to unite the followers, each woman pushes her faction to silence the other, leading to the deaths of both.

As the movement unfolds, the wider world hints at other prisoners: two trapped girls, Sydney Breithaupt and Jenna Hogan, as well as a trapped man, Gabo Olmeda. When the protagonist’s computer and room briefly shut down and then reboot, a door opens offering a chance to leave. He begins recording his actions instead, showcasing them to an unseen audience, and the door slowly closes again.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:13