The year is 2170, ninety years after World War III. Thanks to the technological advances of dream machines, humanity is able to escape a dull existence through adventurous and romantic fantasies that are far more exciting and fulfilling than ordinary life.

But not all dreamers are so blessed. What happens to a "Dreamfarer" when he wakes after seven years to find that he has become a Waker, one of the three percent of humanity who are immune to further dream stimulation and who must face an empty future? This is the case with Sam Adams, who desperately seeks salvation and meaning in his life after he wakes up.

Many disappointed Wakers become Wreckers who seek to overthrow the Government. Others lose themselves in drugs and sex. Sam wrestles with both possibilities. In the end he embarks on a quest that may affect not only his future but others' as well.