Set in the year 2059, Origin in Death is an exploration into the possible future of mankind. After the Urban Wars, during which Dr. Wilfred Icove Senior loses his expectant wife, Icove along with his son and namesake begin a project with Dr. Jonah D. Wilson. The project takes children from the Urban Wars, most orphaned and living on the streets, and uses the most modern medicine to recreate them into perfect beings. Using corrective surgery and gene manipulation, they slowly weed out some traits while increasing or accenting others. The author uses words and phrases consistent with the kind of science described such as the employment of droids for everything from household tasks to security and auto chefs that prepare food at will.