Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.

After being captured and surgically transformed into a "special," teenaged Tally Youngblood, now a government agent programmed to protect society from outside threats, is ordered to eliminate the rebel colony New Smoke, Tally's former home.

The world of uglies, set in our not - so - distant future, is a complex place filled with bubbly technology and lingo, yet bogus rules about status and appearance. Westerfield's bestselling series has a huge fan base, many of whom write him asking questions about the world of Uglies. This guide to the series peels back the layers of the world, history, people, and places.