Sharin no Kuni takes place in an unnamed country, often referred to as the "wheel country." Although nominally democratic, all aspects of society in this country are influenced by an elite stratum of people known as "Special High Class Individuals." Special High Class Individuals possess complete legal authority, using this to confer "obligations" - absolute rules which, if disobeyed, will result in one's confinement in a forced-labor camp - upon those whose actions are judged to be detrimental to society.
The story centers around Kenichi Morita, a young man who has been training for the past seven years to become a Special High Class Individual. For his final examination, he has been dispatched to the same town in which he lived as a child. His task: to pose as a student in the town's school and rehabilitate three of his classmates who possess "obligations," successfully preparing them to re-enter society.
However, this seemingly straightforward examination will force him to call upon all his training, exercise all his wits, and confront the past he fled from so many years ago...