quote:

Dorrit Weger lives in a future society where if you’re a woman that’s not considered to be the cream of the crop, neither holding down an important job nor needed by anyone, you’re considered of little value after you reach your fiftieth birthday. You become a “dispensable”. (For males, it’s sixty).

After your birthday, you leave your home and live out the remainder of your days sequestered in an institution known as The Second Reserve Bank Unit. Dorrit fulfills the criteria of a “dispensable”. Being both childless and a writer with no-one counting on her means her participation in the program. The story begins with Dorrit’s arrival at The Unit.

The apartments within The Unit are beautiful. The inhabitants have all kinds of free entertainment and activities at their disposal - pools, parties, indoor gardens, gyms, restaurants to name a few. The distractions are diverse and designed to suit varied and creative tastes but the underlying reason for their presence in The Unit is universal. The “dispensables” are there for a dual purpose: 1) to supply those on the outside with much needed organs and 2) to participate in scientific and psychological testing.