In a near-future Tokyo where criminals are treated as victims and housed in a luxurious tower, architect Sara Machina struggles with past trauma, creative doubt, and a faltering romance while turning to an AI chatbot for clarity and inspiration

Welcome to the Japan of tomorrow. Here, the practice of radical sympathy toward criminals has become normalized. The incarcerated are considered victims influenced by their environments to commit crime and are labeled accordingly as Homo miserabilis. A grand, yet controversial, skyscraper in the heart of Tokyo is planned to house lawbreakers in compassionate comfort--Sympathy Tower Tokyo. Acclaimed architect Sara Machina has been tasked with designing the city's new centerpiece but is filled with doubt. Haunted by a terrible crime she experienced as a young girl, she wonders if she might inherently disagree with the values of the project, which should be the pinnacle of her career. As Sara grapples with these conflicting emotions, her relationship with her gorgeous--and much younger--boyfriend grows increasingly strained. In search of solace and in need of creative inspiration, Sara turns to the knowing words of an AI chatbot