Ayn Rand's Anthem is set in a bleak, collectivist future where the word 'I' has been erased and individuality is a crime. The story follows a young man known only as Equality 7-2521, who dares to defy his society's rigid structure. He secretly conducts scientific experiments and rediscovers lost knowledge, but his greatest discovery is his own self-worth and the concept of the individual ego. This journey of self-realization forces him to flee his oppressive home and seek a new beginning where freedom and reason can flourish.