Life in 1876 was simple, if unsatisfying. Nate Poole, heavyweight prize fighter, wanted nothing more in life that a reason to live. World-weary and cynical, his life was without meaning - until the far distant future intruded into his world. Now he finds himself plunged headlong into a desperate rebellion against a horrible dystopian state - a rebellion which seems hopeless. Trapped between a desperate, unstable young woman and the monstrous power of the Movement, he has no choice: he is caught up in her hopeless quest and the fate of mankind. The best he can hope for is that his death will serve some greater good.