Sometimeinthenearfuture,paraplegicprisoninmateMattMillsmeets"TheBoard"ofSatoshi-TelefairIndustries,whothankhimforjoiningtheProgram.Underpressureandwithapromisetomakehimwalkagain,Millsagreestovolunteer.Heisinjectedwithasyntheticnanomaterialandsuffocated,onlytowakeupwithrestoreduseofhislegs,yetaloneinasteelcellinthefirstspokeofanexperimentalapparatus-TheWheel.AseriesofassailantsinflictamultitudeofdamagetoMills'bodyandtormenthismind,yetthesyntheticnanomaterialnotonlyrestoreshisdamagedorgans,itre-engineershisstrength.Theexperimentmightbedesignedtokill,butMillsisdeterminedtosurvive-andgetbacktohisdaughterbeforeTheBoardfindsherfirst.