In a rain-ravaged Los Angeles of 2233, Shayan “Shy” Soraya struggles with the pressures of being a clone of a legendary actor. While the world envies his status as a “nepo baby,” Shy feels trapped in a spotlight he never wanted—one that only intensifies when he’s captured on video fending off armed kidnappers.

Hailed as a hero by the city’s elite, Shy breaks his talent agency’s rules and befriends Agustín, a teen from the slums, home to an oppressed and largely neurodivergent working class. Their shared determination to uncover who orchestrated the kidnapping plunges them into a dangerous conspiracy.

As their bond deepens, Shy begins noticing unsettling parallels between his life and Agustín’s. Wrestling with his own identity—could he also be neurodivergent?—he comes to suspect that the secret he has long tried to bury may have placed him in far greater peril than he ever imagined.

With time running out, Shy and Agustín must race against the clock to expose the truth before it’s too late.

A neuropunk novel about stardom and the cost of embracing your true self.