In the near future society, "appearance economy" has become a new pillar industry. Beauty exchange technology suddenly appeared five years ago, with a global chain of stores run by the mysterious multinational group "Venus International". Society is rapidly stratified: appearance level determines career opportunities, marriage and love choices, and even legal treatment. The plastic surgery industry is dying, the education system is shrinking, and relationships are highly superficial. History was rewritten, and Renaissance portraits in museums were labeled "early prototypes of the beauty trade."
