This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.
A narcissistic, unhinged oligarch reigns over a destitute, post-apocalyptic domain in the western part of what once was America.
Sara, his communications minister, stands behind him despite his megalomania. She tells her team: "Work is work, and you should take pride in it, even when your job is to deny, divert, distract, detract, and deceive, no matter how despicable the outcome."
Yet this day is not going so well. Ron, her maniacal and likely AI-controlled boss, is berating his ministers, raging about a highly visible, embarrassing incident that puts his leadership in doubt. He orders Sara to develop the response - gloss over it, blame the locals, or accuse their many regional enemies of stirring up historical animosities.
But such accusations might elicit a cascade of destructive reactions from their belligerent, tech-rich adversaries. Will her efforts unwittingly set the world ablaze?
