John Ward works as a librarian and lives in a small cubicle due to overpopulation. He befriends Henry Rossiter and they discover a secret room that gives them more space and power over others. However, as more people move in, privacy is lost. The story is a critique of overpopulation, showing a dystopian future where people live in tiny spaces with no beauty or freedom due to the large population and lack of responsibility in controlling it.