What you're describing reminds me of the Mathic system in Neal Stephenson's book Anathem. The characters are sequestered in groups defined by the interval at w

What you're describing reminds me of the Mathic system in Neal Stephenson's book Anathem. The characters are sequestered in groups defined by the interval at which they interact with the outside world. There's a good summary of Mathic life at http://anathem.wikia.com/wiki/Mathic_Society http://anathem.wikia.com/wiki/Mathic_Society (the site contains spoilers, but that page looks safe to me).