Summary

Chapters 1 and 2

Set in a somewhat futuristic world in which the United States has been torn apart by war, Article 5 follows the story of 17-year-old Ember Miller's fight to survive in a society that condemns illegitimate children like her. When her mother is arrested for being a single parent, Ember must accept the help of her former boyfriend, who has now become a hardened soldier, to try to save her.

Chapter 1 opens with Ember Miller walking home with her best friend Beth and Beth’s boyfriend Ryan. In the years since the War, the Federal Bureau of Reformation has implemented strict laws called the Moral Statutes that regulate everything including reading material, clothing and behavior, and the police, nicknamed the Moral Militia or MM, strictly enforce the statutes. When they arrive at Ember’s house, her mother is reading a forbidden novel, which...