Meigwen is an obstetrician juggling her busy career, volunteer work, and family life. She travels to help a rural family deliver their newborn baby-a child who hasn't been genetically modified to develop a belly bead of their own. As a part of her duties, she must implant an artificial bead in the navel of the newborn so that it is compliant with the society's monitoring laws. On her way home, she is attacked by a gang, not because she performs such procedures, but because she is pregnant with a child that would exceed her family's quota in this strictly controlled population. Is this the price of longevity and good health for all?