2030

In the year 2021, the Jack - a man-machine interface wired directly to the human brain - has been declared a Human Right, and is installed into almost every citizen of every developed nation. Now the year is 2030, and the social fabric has ripped apart. An accomplished minority use the power of the Jack to increase their wealth and power, while the masses are content to abandon their lives, escaping into a world of voyeuristic entertainment. Only a scattered few reject the Jack completely, preferring to live apart, hidden among the dreaming millions. Amid such changes, the disappearance of one young woman might seem unimportant - but not when her father is one of the world's most influential men. And not when one of the un-Jacked is the only hacker with enough access to possibly find her. Her disappearance cuts a path across the social divides, as dangerous as it is revealing. Once hacker Stewart Ramond and his young assistant Seth set foot on that path, there's no going back!