The story follows Saul Tenser, a celebrated performance artist, and his partner Caprice. [3, 4] Tenser’s body is a "prolific producer" of these new organs. [4, 5] Together, they turn his biological mutations into high-concept art: Caprice uses specialized surgical machinery to harvest these "extra" organs in front of live, captivated audiences. [1, 3] For them and their followers, "surgery is the new sex." [5, 6]

However, a deeper conspiracy unfolds involving a radical underground group led by Lang Dotrice. [2, 4] This group has surgically altered their digestive systems to eat plastic, believing that humanity must evolve to consume the waste it has created. [1, 8] Dotrice wants Tenser to perform a public autopsy on his murdered son, Brecken—a child who was born with the natural ability to eat plastic—to prove to the world that this evolution is permanent and hereditary. [8, 9]

The 2022 film Crimes of the Future , directed by David Cronenberg, is set in a future where humanity is undergoing a radical biological transformation called "Accelerated Evolution Syndrome." [1, 2] In this world, most humans have lost the ability to feel physical pain, and their bodies have begun spontaneously growing new, functionless organs. [2, 3]