The story begins in a futuristic domed city called Rondo, built to protect its citizens after a global ecological disaster. In this utopia, humans and AutoReivs (androids) coexist peacefully under a total management system. A series of murders committed by robots and AutoReivs infected with the Cogito virus (which causes them to become self-aware) begins to threaten the delicate balance of Rondo's social order. Behind the scenes, the government has been conducting secret experiments on a mysterious humanoid lifeform called a "Proxy". The Proxy beings (described as God-like and Immortal) are believed to hold the key to the survival of mankind.
Re-L (pronounced "Rielle") Mayer is assigned to investigate some of the murders with her AutoReiv partner Iggy. She encounters a Cogito virus-infected AutoReiv and a fast and flexible monster. She later learns that the monster was a Proxy. The other central character, an immigrant named Vincent Law, is revealed as being the eponymous proxy, but the memories of his past in his native dome of Mosque are suppressed. After being hunted down, Vincent and Re-L leave Rondo, only to discover the truth behind the Proxies and the domes.
In the domed city of Rondo (and possibly in other domed cities) various sections of the 'government' are referred to as Bureaus - the Intelligence Bureau, the Health & Welfare Bureau and the Security Bureau, among others. The AutoReivs are referred to as either 'companions' or 'entourages', depending upon their roles.
The humans in the city are grown in artificial wombs, however this appears to be more of a form of control over the population rather than an absolute necessity. Likewise, when a new person is grown, they are done so to fulfill a specific purpose, thus ensuring that person's future place in society through a "raison d'etre".
