Austin, Texas, year 2080. Giant domes and bubble-helmets protect humanity from horrendous dust storms, androids do most of the work, and over ninety percent of wildlife is extinct. Steven Masters, a history buff and the largest producer of virtual reality programs in the U.S.A., has his best engineers design his personal virtual program where he joins Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery on their epic journey to the Pacific Ocean and back. Donning his state-of-the-art headset, Steven leaves his dysfunctional family life and dystopian world to enter the overwhelming beauty of the western frontier at the turn of the 19th century. He soon becomes addicted to the VR program, bonds with the men on the expedition, and eventually meets and falls passionately in love with a stunning Mandan Indian squaw named Slender Doe. Steven dreads returning to his real life when he is rocked by the VR program’s conclusion.