Uglies Summary

In a city just outside Pretty Town, the protagonist, Tally Youngblood, anxiously awaits her upcoming transformation. Her friend Peris has already undergone the mandatory cosmetic procedure that turns him into a "Pretty," a process she is eager to experience herself. However, after defying the rules and visiting Pretty Town, she's met with hostility and confusion from her old friend Peris. Tally then stumbles upon another girl, Shay, who shares her suspicions about their society's obsession with beauty, and the two form a friendship.

The pair spend their time learning to hoverboard and challenging societal expectations. Shay introduces the concept of a society beyond their city where the citizens live without the mandatory cosmetic surgery. On the day of Tally's scheduled surgery, she is intercepted by Special Circumstances, the city's secret police. They demand that Tally infiltrate Shay's proposed society or forfeit her chance to ever become "Pretty". Tally reluctantly agrees, fearing a lifetime of ugliness and isolation.

Tally embarks on a dangerous journey to the alternative society, referred to as the Smoke, where she's unexpectedly embraced by its members, including Shay. However, after discovering the dark truth behind the Pretty surgeries, she decides to destroy her spying device, unknowingly activating it. The peaceful society is swiftly destroyed by Special Circumstances, leading Tally on another mission to rescue the captured members. Despite her guilt and the chance to finally become Pretty, Tally willingly offers herself as a test subject for an experimental cure for the surgeries' side effects, hoping to mend her actions and save her friends.