This story is based roughly upon the fictitious world of Lauren Oliver's "Delirium." We branch out from the main characters a great deal, but the whole idea of the dystopia remains. You do not have to have read the original novel to still read or get something out of this. Although, to clear up some possible confusion, we'll clarify the dystopia as an entirety.
It still takes place in today's America, but it has been decided that love is illegal. At eighteen, every single person is goes through a procedure so they're "cured" and cannot fall in love. This seems like an okay system to quite a few. Love is called deleria nervosa amor, or just the deleria. There is a group called the DFA (Deleria Free America) that keeps this in tact. You are given a list of possible spouses, choose one, and you're safe from all of the heartbreak and so-called agony that comes along with love. Although, there is a group of Invalids that have usually fallen in love and see how fatal this rule really is. They usually escape to an area outside of the borders known as the Wilds where they live in camps.
The main four characters from the original novel are Alex Sheathes, Lena Halloway, Julian Fineman, and Hana Tate. Although, they will be introduced as new characters and you won't have an issue understanding their backstories a great deal. I will explain them although just so you understand more where they're coming from. This does contain some spoilers. Alex grew up with a family of Invalids, so he knows about love, the books and music that are decided to be illegal, etc. Gradually, the protagonist Lena and him fall in love, and he is believed to be dead toward the end. Lena starts dating and leads to loving another boy, Julian, during this process. The only problem is that his father, Mr. Fineman, is the head of the DFA. Toward the end of the second book, it is revealed that Alex did in fact survive a brutal time in the Crypts-the jail for those "infected" by the deleria.
That story is only one of some fortunate enough to be infected. No one hears anything about the mysterious brother believed to be dead, a niece so long into hiding that she's no even legally registered as a human being, and the horrific side of the deleria that happens behind closed doors. There's so much that happens that people only catch glimpses of through tainted windows and those oddly close "friends" at school. In a place where any type of love at all is illegal, you'd be surprised about some of the measures people are willing to take. We believe it's time to share some of these stories. It's due time.