Unless noted, each division is a new story
0 years old: #421 was created along with 24 others in his group. (No story written here)
3 years old: Given to unnamed scientist. Scientist misread number and thought that he was #420. Locked him in closet tied to chair whenever he disobeyed. (No story written here)
5 years old: Met another clone not from his litter, #325. Practiced Kendo together until incident with #421’s arm. Kids felt somehow connected and refused to let go of each other. #421 bears a scar from that incident on his arm. Doctor’s removed the memory from both clones’ brains. However, #421 retained a startling image of silver eyes (#325’s eye color).
13 years old: #421’s first “lesson”. His teacher reminds him of someone, but not sure who. Institute has a power failure and #421 freaks out, so the other clone tells him a story that he “made up”. The story is about a clone that isn’t perfect and has a scar on his arm. After #421 shows other clone his scar, they realize that the story is the truth. They are thinking about what that means when the power failure is fixed and doctors come to get them. Doctors realize what has happened (clones remembering past) and separate them and remove memories again.
16 years old: #421 is finally ready to work. He gets his permanent doctor, Dr. Griffith. The doctor tells him that he has a customer waiting. #421 meets the man and senses a connection. Man is introduced as Matt McGriswald. Meeting is interrupted when Institute police come in and announce that Matt is escaped clone #325. Matt runs out and Dr. G removes memory of police, and then tells #421 about a secret operation to free all the free-minded clones and #421 is now part of the operation. Dr. G has to remove #421’s memory of the incident just in case some doctor goes poking around in his mind.
A few weeks later: #421 and Dr. Griffith go out to meet #421’s first customer. The customer turns out to be Matt and he takes #421 and Dr. G to an underground facility where Dr. G gives #421 all of his memories back. Dr. G then drives #421 and Matt to a house where #421 will meet Clay, the founder of the operation. During the ride, #421 and Matt talk about things, including what name #421 should choose.
At the house: #421 (now known as Francis) meets Clay for the first time. Clay tells Francis about how the clone project began and the woman who created it, Crystal. He also talks about why to government puts up with is and what the operation is doing to stop the Institute. At the end of the talk, the house gets raided by Institute security guards who want to take the clones back and kill Clay and Dr. Griffith.
Immediately after that: Francis, Matt, Clay and Dr. G. all escape thanks to someone who warns them that the security men are coming. They flee to another house owned by the operation. When they get there Clay decides that they must stop the Institute soon, because the Institute is catching on to what their doing. Clay says they have to find Crystal and get her to stop the Institute, but no one knows where she is. Clay calls another escaped clone, Quinn, who’s a computer genius and also the person who warned them that the Institute was coming after them, to help them find her. While Quinn works, Dr. G, Francis and Matt all go to sleep, because they’ve had a long day.
The next day: Quinn has found out where Crystal is and has gotten Clay, Dr. G, Francis and Matt all tickets to go there. However, they are all wanted so they must disguise themselves to get there. On the plane, Francis and Matt talk about what it’s like to be a clone and what they’re going to do after the Institute is shut down. They all arrive in this tropical place and go to confront Crystal.
Crystal’s house: All confront Crystal and she breaks down and tells them all her story. After she hears Francis and Matt’s stories about being clones and Clay and Dr. G tell her about new doctors who are being hired, she realizes that she should really stop the Institute. She calls up her man in the government and tells him to go and shut down the Institute. She agrees to let all the free minded clones go and to put all the other clones in places where they can be together and not be abused by anyone. Matt, Francis, Clay and Dr. G all leave and fly back home to find another cause to champion. All this ends with Crystal starting a fire in her fireplace and burning her papers that have all her research about cloning.