Gabriel is a 16 year old. He is an orphan in Chicago. He lives in a dystopian world where people are split into factions-- Abnegation (selflessness), Amity (peace), Candor (honesty), Dauntless (bravery), and Erudite (intelligence). He does not have a faction, orphans never do. When choosing day comes along, his orphanage takes their children to the choosing ceremony. Everybody in the city must attend. During the chaos of choosing, he sneaks off. With the Dauntless. They take him in as one of their own-- after he proves himself worthy. But everything is not as it seems, and he will eventually learn that the hard way.