The novel begins in January 2032, as THOMAS PETERSON is on his private jet to the annual Davosconference, the globally famous annual confab of the elite. After he lands, the unfamiliar GERALD FLYNTgreets him, and soon Flynt's thugs drag Peterson to a remote safehouse.Peterson's assistant DYLAN JENKINS enlists the aid of the Davos security chief, while Peterson is heldcaptive by Aegis, a radical anti-technology terrorist group. Two days later, Peterson is rescued by U.S.special forces in a bold operation, and all of his safehouse captors are killed except for the group's leader,Flynt.Meanwhile, the novel moves to the second setting of Stanford University, where WESLEY WILLIAMS iscampaigning for the U.S. Senate as a third-party candidate, aided by his youthful campaign managerTOBIAS HUANG. After his speech, the entire nation sees Aegis' first video broadcast, confusing andfrightening the public. Then, U.S. Senator DINAH CRANSTON, running as an incumbent, encountersformer staffer and mentally unstable ROBERT KULLY as she is leaving her office late one night.Next, in Jackson, Wyoming, ALAN and JANE DYER are preparing to leave their estate to become "spacetourists" on the maiden voyage of the Coda rocket, at the invitation of Toffler. Toffler has long(erroneously) been convinced that the Dyers' product, AutoNet, a widespread technology for self-drivingcars, led to the death of his fiancé.The next day, Wesley is heading up to San Francisco for a political fundraiser, but his travel is impeded bya rowdy mob, led by "SLEDGE," a charismatic rabble rouser. The Dyers arrive at the Coda launch site inthe Nevada desert. The Coda rocket launches and soon Toffler detonates a nuclear bomb from his rocket,seemingly killing all aboard. Afterward, the federal government mounts an enormous, months-long effort tosalvage the Bay Area.Seven months after the attack, Wesley resumes his campaign in San Francisco, but a gunman injures him andkills Huang. In the interim, Peterson has formed an ambitious new project, Osiris, which is a tech-free utopiancommunity. Two imposters kidnap Jenkins from Osiris and fly him to Mexico. They force him to contactPeterson and try to trick him into flying down as well. Alarmed, Peterson reaches out to Senator Cranston torescue Jenkins, and when she refuses to help, he engages his own mercenary force to fly to Mexico, rescue hisassistant, and destroy Aegis. Only Toffler escapes.A month later, hiding in the wine country, Toffler encounters "MAC," an old, mysterious man who seems eerilyomniscient. Per Mac's advice, Toffler contacts an ambitious reporter at the Los Angeles Times and tells himabout the shocking evidence he has about the US President Wright's deceptions. The information is potentenough to destroy Wright's Presidency which, if left unchecked, would probably lead to nuclear war with China.Later, Peterson and Jenkins discover Toffler's body hanging from a tree at the Osiris complex along with a cacheof information linking President Wright to Aegis and, by extension, the disaster in the Bay Area.In the ensuing mayhem caused by President Wright, his cabinet secretly agrees to remove the President basedon the 25th amendment. Wright angrily pledges to fight them. Senator Cranston is implicated in theassassination attempt against Williams, which virtually guarantees her defeat in the imminent election.Having found shelter for his wife and children in rural Northern California, Williams enjoys the eve of electionnight with his family where he experiences an epiphany: the path he has been following has been correct, inspite of all his fears and the trauma the nation has endured. They are all finally home.