In the post-apocalyptic world of the Deathlands, the isolated country of New Zealand was a last refuge for some of the intelligentsia, the wealthy and technologically brilliant elite of the late 20th century who had seen the nuclear apocalypse coming. They devised a force shield that created a protective bubble around the twin islands, shielding the enclave inside from nuclear Armageddon, as well as from the marauding hordes of survivors who wished to get in and wreak havoc. For the last hundred years, a version of predark civilization had been preserved, but now that protective shield is failing, resulting in frequent breaches from the bloodthirsty outsiders.
The pot-smoking and relentlessly abrasive mad scientist Dr. William Hammersmith, whom the companions first encountered in DL 124 Child of Slaughter, has made "New Zea" his home. The mad scientist uses private-sector mat-trans technology to track and transport Ryan Cawdor's small team of survivalist warriors from the Deathlands to the islands under siege in order to enlist their aid in training the soft local populace for the imminent attack and lend their own battle-tested mettle to rescue the imperiled community.