A philosophical and political novel set in a dystopian United States where society begins to collapse as many of its most productive innovators, entrepreneurs, and thinkers mysteriously disappear. The story primarily follows Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive, and Hank Rearden, an industrialist, as they struggle against increasing government control and economic decline. The novel serves as the most complete fictional expression of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, exploring individualism, reason, capitalism, freedom, and human achievement.