The story is narrated in the third person and follows 24-year-old Mae Holland. Mae arrives for her first day of work at The Circle, “the most influential company in the world” (1). She is amazed by the enormity and modernity of the campus, which is situated on the West Coast near San Francisco, California. In front of the complex’s main door, Mae pauses to relish the moment. Inside, over 10,000 employees are working for the company that “has been voted the world’s most admired [for] four years running” (2).

Mae got the job through her friend Annie, who was her roommate in college. Annie is a higher-up at The Circle and a close confidante for Mae. While Mae waits to meet with Annie, Renata, another employee, offers to walk Mae to her desk. Mae thinks of her dad, who is immensely proud that only two years out of college, she has landed a highly desirable job that grants her full financial independence.

Each wing of The Circle is named after a historical period; Mae is in the Renaissance along with the rest of Customer Experience. They walk inside, and a Calder mobile is hanging from the 40-foot glass atrium.