Have you ever felt that you didn’t belong anywhere? Ever wanted to be with people who understand as much as you understand yourself? If so, the affinities are for you. Of course, you may not be a match for any of the twenty-two groups at the heart of Robert Wilson’s The Affinities.
Adam Fisk decides to undergo the battery of tests that will determine if he will fit into any of the Affinities – groups of people who are compatible beyond the normal societal classifications. Members of the affinities come from all backgrounds, races, social class, economic class, ethnicity, gender, age, etc. After being accepted into one of the largest affinities, Adam immediately feels at home. He has finally found a family who accepts him unconditionally, unlike his own biological family, who were not exactly warm, welcoming, and tolerant.
It seems like the ideal life – a loving home, plenty of friends and lovers, assured work, a global network of people to help with any and all needs. Yet, the future is far from certain. While each group is in itself a perfectly contained unit, they don’t live in isolation. The strength and power that comes from intense collaboration and cooperation does not go unnoticed. And there are plenty of people who don’t want to be in, or were rejected by, the Affinities.
Human nature being what it is, it’s not surprising that governments, people outside the Affinities, and rival Affinities want to be “in control”, the ones with the most power. The inevitable clash threatens to destroy the peace and happiness that Adam has found.