Eggers portrays the never-ending human desire for identity, thirst for knowledge and recognition, and passion and yearning to uncover the truth about their lives through his main protagonist: Mae Holland.

Mae gets a job at an internet company called "The Circle" in which she has to create her virtual, internet persona. However, as she invests more and more of her time and happiness into her online presence, she gradually loses her true identity in the physical world. She forgets who she really is and tries to become the virtual version of herself who lives a wonderful life.

The truth that Mae and the readers uncover at the end is also the main message of the story: if we want to truly achieve happiness in this age of modernity and technology, we mustn't forget who we really are. The novel argues that we should disconnect from the virtual world as much as we can and "connect" with our friends and family in real life.