On a much-needed vacation away from work, Cooper heads off with his childhood friend Reed to rock climb – or so Cooper thinks. For Cooper’s own unwitting good, Reed charts a changed course for The Burning Man Festival, the one-week arts bacchanal that springs up annually each fall in the barren northern Nevadan desert. Whatever planning collapses further when Reed fails to pack anything for the two of them to brave the elements. Arguments lead to blows, Reed and Cooper separate, and soon after Cooper loses everything.
Stripped of the familiar, Cooper learns from his camping companions to navigate his way in the desert through a fantastical world stocked with free spirits, pharmaceuticals, and creative absurdities. He boards a Spanish galleon that sails over the sands, eats sushi with the Pope, and follows a caroming croquet ball into his future.
