Hex takes place in a futuristic Europe in the mid-24th century. Similar to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, the book's author Rhiannon Lassiter paints a totalitarian society in which its inhabitants are watched closely. Rather than having a character similar to Big Brother however, the government has a secret government agency called the CPS, or Center for Paranormal Studies. This organization is responsible for finding, obtaining, and "terminating" Hexes. A Hex is an individual who possesses the ability to merge with the "Net" or Internet due to the Hex gene created by a scientist years ago.