East of the Out-Lands

In the twenty-third century, California is a hellish place. A corrupt dictatorship led by the Business Council has taken over the coastal areas and renamed them Mainstream. Anyone who rebels is exiled to the Out-Lands.

The only people who venture deep into the blazing interior are the Freeps. They rely on mobile climate-control systems called beetle packs to protect them from the sweltering temperatures. The Freeps are networked via computers to their own leader-Algo, a cyber presence unable to grasp certain human concepts.

After refusing to work his assigned accounting job, Joe is kicked out of Mainstream and eventually joins the Freeps. There he meets Mary, a farmers' daughter who wants to help the settlements, and Funt, a deserter from Mainstream's army. While Joe and Mary grow closer, Funt lets his jealousy and bitterness drive him out of the community.

Funt may have left, but he's not gone for good.

When Joe finds out that Funt has allied himself with Mainstream to destroy the Freeps' way of life, he urges his friends to rise up. In the power struggle that follows, Joe must take advantage of the Freeps' ingenuity and unique culture if he wants to survive.