In a world in which climate change and armed conflicts restrict travel, Virtual Experiences enable simulated visits to exotic, perfect destinations. A revolutionary brain-computer interface heralds a bright future for GAIA Inc. But after one of the Experiences turns into a war zone filled with sorcery and witch-hunts while another loses ships ready to carry the consciousness of tourists, Evelyn Riley, herself immersed in an Experience, has to prevent a global disaster.Real and virtual worlds in past, present, and future intersect in the beleaguered virtual city of Amford when Peter Hendrix's 17th-century sorcery and Evelyn Riley's 23rd-century quantum computers are brought together with Jack Brigg's 21st-century research team. Their views of reality, consciousness, and existence are upended. The artificial intelligence powering the Experiences has created a ruthless world filled with compassionate, conscious characters, while at the same time threatening the real-world population with mass destruction. Nobody is safe anywhere.