Olivia has always believed that worth is earned through achievement—by any means necessary. Her ruthless ambition fuels her escape from the deadening familiarity of Bracknell. First, she conquers Oxford; then law school; and finally, the Only Circle—a shadowy network of the most elite corporate law firms in the world.

The promise of power and greatness beckons, and Olivia surges forward, convinced she’s found what she’s always craved: wholeness, identity, and a self remade. But beneath the gleaming high-rises and immaculate offices of the Only Circle lies a brutal reality. Trainees work through endless nights on thankless deals that siphon their time, sanity, and identities. In-house gyms, sleeping tubes, and on-site clinics ensure employees never leave the building. Dull-eyed psychiatrists dole out prescriptions, keeping staff steady on little white pills and beta blockers as they grind through the twilight hours.

And in everyone lurks a need—visceral and stiff, more brutal than want—to be the best. To break from the bloodshot masses. To be the thing that is perfect and shiny and new.

Under this carnivorous system of constant monitoring, appraisal, and scrutiny, Olivia tells herself, again and again, that she is willing to pay the price.

Whatever the cost.