The first chapter is made up of two sentences narrated by the first-person narrator. She describes herself as “a girl of definitions, of logic, of black and white” and directly exhorts the reader to remember that (1).

Celestine, the teenage narrator, and her family are getting ready to celebrate Earth Day with a traditional dinner. The North family is made up of Celestine, her mother Summer, her father Cutter, her older sister Juniper, and her younger brother Ewan. A government official and friend of theirs, Judge Bosco Crevan, has sat himself at the head of the table despite not being invited, but Celestine’s parents act graciously toward him due to his position. His son Art, Celestine’s boyfriend, is also present.

Celestine explains that Bosco is the head of the Guild, a committee that regulates moral behavior. The Guild investigates anyone who has been accused of wrongdoing by putting them on trial, which usually results in them being declared Flawed. They are then branded with an “F” on one of five places on their body, depending on their crime.

The Norths and the Crevans are waiting for their neighbors, Bob and Angelina Tinder, to join them. Celestine notices that Summer and Bosco seem uncharacteristically anxious, when they are interrupted by sirens.