A stressed man on a crowded sidewalk. Everything is too crowded. Too noisy. After a brief rude encounter with a stranger, he daydreams about how he could have reacted differently. What he should have said to the stranger. He gets carried away with his fantasies and conjures up his innermost demons.

A solar system in which the end of history has already been surpassed: people allow themselves to be ruled by computer reason – ActualSanity – which keeps the community of planets in an harmonious ideal state. Political processes no longer seem to be necessary in this AI-driven, totalitarian and cosy government; instead, identity-forming collectives distinguish themselves from each other solely by subtle behavioural differences. Until a threat looms on the horizon: the Broken Hearts Collective disquiets the solar system with terrorist attacks – a development at the centre of which Marten Eliot and Emma Glendale, young head fellows of the Dolphin Collective, unexpectedly find themselves.

Daniel gets jostled on a crowded street and imagines teaching the stranger some manners. For Marie, a first date is one thing above all else: pure stress! What if he notices how disturbed she is...? Robert sees the other parents at the playground and is overcome with self-doubt. Alone in her room at night, Yara hears strange noises—a monster or her mom? Karsten is in the fast lane. Whoever slows down loses. Agathe seeks inner peace after a breakup, but the anger remains. And Lenny dreams of Mo, his idol—and of finally being seen.