Chakuro is the 14-year-old archivist of the Mud Whale, a nigh-utopian island that floats across the surface of an endless sea of sand. Nine in ten of the inhabitants of the Mud Whale have been blessed and cursed with the ability to use saimia, special powers that doom them to an early death. Chakuro and his friends have stumbled across other islands, but they have never met, seen, or even heard of a human who wasn't from their own. One day, Chakuro visits an island as large as the Mud Whale and meets a girl who will change his destiny.

Neku awakens in the middle of Shibuya's bustling Scramble Crossing with no memory of how he got there. Little does he know, he's been transported to an alternate plane of existence known as the Underground. Now an unwilling participant in the mysterious "Reapers' Game," Neku must partner up with a girl named Shiki in order to survive...

Three neighbors face problems they want to avoid, but they grow facing their dilemmas. Anna lives with her mother and lives her life following her mother's wishes, but she has a secret she can't tell anyone. Yoo Ra and her family need to leave their neighborhood due to a reurbanization project in the area where they live. Seo Yeon is the vocalist of an indie band. She's very superstitious, and she can't get over her ex-boyfriend, who broke up with her a year ago.

Independent Journalists Dril and Derek Estevez-Olsen plunge the foulest reaches of the Dark Web to pulverize society's most pressing issues with reasoned debate.