THE NEAR FUTURE: A dizzy world of Mindseye implants, Maternosuppressor pills, Erotoroutines, Psychotrichology and notorious, vicious virospooks such as Sick Nick. And the Dreambox, the ultimate in electronic entertainment, harnessing the power of the human psyche to transport you to your personal paradise.

For a hard-headed career woman like Sesha Roffey, dreaming your life away is for losers and nerds. And for a struggling young mother like Ruth Deitch, hooking up and tripping is hardly an option.

However, Ruth's addicted boyfriend, Paulie Rayle, is no ordinary dreambox junkie: he aims to dream into being a whole new reality—kinder, gentler and more real than this one. But like no-nonsense Sesha and down-to-earth Ruth, Paulie is in for some horrible shocks . . .