One

In a dateless future, the State has eliminated poverty and crime and brought the happiness of conformity to its citizens.

All members of the state are equal in every way. Professor Burden believes he too is a loyal citizen, but the Department of Internal Examination discovers that he harbors unconscious doubts--that he thinks he may be smarter than others, that he may have talents that others do not possess--and brands him a heretic.

Since individualism is a threat to the State, Burden's identity must be obliterated in order to save him.