Leon, a young man who died in a rigged car accident, is surgically resurrected with artificial brain implants. The side effect of these new organs changes the way he perceives the world: he ses, hears and feels humans and other living things as repulsive and intimidating jumbles of rocks. His mind having become closer to a robot's than a human, he sees machines and robots as beauties and marvels of nature. This is how he meets Chihiro, a factory worker robot. Although "she" normally looks like an ugly and cold insect-like automaton, Leon considers her as a beautiful and charming young girl wearing an antennae hat. He falls in love which she reciprocates, but their love is forbidden, the company not wanting to let go of Chihiro.