The story is set in the near future in New York City. It's a time when the police are monitoring citizens' behaviors by means of surveillance cameras that are mounted on street corners, the subway, and even on buses. Authorities are now capable of monitoring and identifying any individual that they can see with the cameras. They can also record any phone conversation, and they have the ability to listen in on conversations taking place inside your home without having to plant a listening device. The police now use guns which shoot patches that cause their target to fall into a deep sleep rather than die.
Authorities are also almost ready to unveil their newest system which they refer to as the grid.
This system causes all living things within it's area to fall asleep, and can be activated from various command posts around the city. This surveillance system is known as P.E.A.C.E., Police Enforced Anti-Crime Environment. There are special undercover police officers who work with the system. They are known as sleepers. Since the inception of this new system crime has drastically declined and most citizens are thrilled with it.