Ultimately, Tally decides to voluntarily undergo the surgery to become a Pretty, hoping to find a way to reverse the effects of the brain lesions and free the people from their controlled existence. The novel concludes with Tally and her new friends attempting to save the Smoke and expose the truth about the Pretty surgery.

As Tally grapples with this knowledge and her growing feelings for David, she accidentally triggers the tracking device, leading the authorities to the Smoke. She learns that the operation not only alters physical appearance but also implants a brain lesion that makes people docile and easy to control. In the Smoke, Tally meets David, the son of two former surgeons who helped develop the Pretty surgery. Equipped with a tracking device, she follows Shay’s clues and eventually finds the Smoke. Torn between her desire to become Pretty and her loyalty to Shay, Tally reluctantly agrees. When Tally is about to receive her surgery, she is approached by the authorities, who offer her a deal: help them locate the Smoke and bring Shay back or remain Ugly forever. Before her surgery, Shay runs away to a secret community called the Smoke, where people live without undergoing the operation. However, Shay is opposed to the surgery and introduces Tally to the idea of a rebellion against the system. While waiting for her turn, Tally befriends Shay, another Ugly who shares her birthday. Her best friend, Peris, has already undergone the surgery and moved to New Pretty Town. The protagonist, Tally Youngblood, is an Ugly who is eagerly awaiting her transformation. The story is set in a future society where people are divided into two categories based on their appearance: “Uglies” and “Pretties.” At the age of 16, everyone undergoes a mandatory surgery to become beautiful and join the privileged class of Pretties. “Uglies” is a young adult dystopian novel written by Scott Westerfeld, published in 2005.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld