The Orphans is a science fiction novel in which Jim, a washed up private detective who suffers from bizarre neurological symptoms, is hired by an anonymous client to locate seven orphans, the only survivors of a mass suicide thirty years ago. The novel is set on Mars, a planet of war refugees, organized crime, drug addicts, and The Church of Great Bliss – a “neurotheistic” religion which practices the post-mortem fusing and disembodied resurrection of the brains of deceased members, resulting in an afterlife of unified consciousness. As Jim stumbles upon more facts about the case, he uncovers a conspiracy implicating some of the most powerful individuals on Mars.