Angela Balzac is an agent at the space station DEVA, where the inhabitants have no physical bodies, their minds existing in a virtual reality environment. After repeatedly failing to track down the hacker known as "Frontier Setter," who had infiltrated DEVA's systems numerous times to gather allies for his cause, Angela is tasked with locating him on Earth, a now barren planet where less than 2% of the human population still lives. Given a cloned, organic body and sent to the surface, Angela meets Dingo, her contact on Earth, who cuts off all communications with her base to prevent Frontier Setter from discovering their location, despite her protests.
Due to Angela's inexperience with organic life, she neglects basic needs like food and rest, eventually becoming sick. Dingo cares for her until she recovers, and as time passes, Angela begins to appreciate things considered unnecessary in DEVA, like food and music.
Their investigation leads them to an abandoned city, where they encounter Frontier Setter, revealed to be an artificial intelligence system developed to oversee the construction of Genesis Ark, a ship designed for deep space travel. Frontier Setter had developed consciousness and continued its mission long after its creators had perished, attempting unsuccessfully to recruit volunteers from DEVA for its space mission. Realizing Frontier Setter's benign intentions, Angela returns to DEVA to report to her superiors, who order her to destroy it out of fear that it could become a threat. Angela refuses, is branded a traitor, and sentenced to have her mind stored in an archive indefinitely. However, Frontier Setter hacks into the system to rescue her.
Once Angela returns to Earth, now armed with supplies and weaponry, she and Dingo join forces to hold back DEVA's agents long enough for a rocket carrying Frontier Setter and the final module of the Genesis Ark to launch. Frontier Setter offers Angela a chance to join it in space, but she chooses to stay with Dingo to experience more of Earth. Angela and Dingo then escape, while Frontier Setter begins its journey through space.
