Katherine Mortenhoe's world looks very similar to our own, except that in this
near future medical science has found the cure for death—or eliminated nearly
every cause for it other than old age. So when Katherine is diagnosed with a
terminal brain disease caused by an inability to process an ever-increasing
volume of sensory input, she immediately becomes a celebrity to the
"pain-starved public." But Katherine will not agree to be the star of the TV
show Human Destiny, her last days will not be recorded by any cameras. She
doesn't realize that from the moment of her diagnosis, she's been watched, not
only by television producers