Set in the same unnamed country as an earlier Saramago novel, this book begins on election day, when most voters in the capital cast blank ballots. The government is alarmed and puzzled, and treats the peaceful protest as a conspiracy against the state. It responds with growing force and suspicion, searching for hidden leaders. The novel is a political satire and a sober reflection on democracy, authority and dissent, showing how power reacts when citizens quietly withhold their consent.