Two decades after the great economic collapse the world's cities have ceased to exist and life continues only in scattered communities. Back in '43, Jake was a rich, young futures broker, immersed in the 'datascape' of the world's financial markets. He saw what was coming - and who was behind it. Forewarned, he was one of the few to escape the fall. For twenty two years, Jake Reed has lived in fear of the future and finally it is coming across the plain towards him. Chinese airships are in the skies and a strange, glacial structure has begun to dominate the horizon. Under the rule of the mighty Tsao Ch'un, a resurgent China is seeking to abolish the past and bring about world peace through rigidly enforced order. But a civil war looms, and Jake will find himself at the heart of the struggle for the future.