The year is 1999 and the world is on edge as it waits to find out if a simple computer programming oversite could cause the collapse of modern civilization.

But first: it's the mid-90s and Gordon Hamilton is a college freshman with big dreams, eager to soar well beyond the confines of life in Lincoln, Nebraska. A pivotal conversation with his new college friends around the bonfire one night sparks a new venture: Sagan Software, with Gordon as CEO. It's the same night Gordon also meets chemistry student and psychonaut traveler, Damian Charlock, who introduces Gordon to Nebraska's burgeoning rave scene.

Gordon pours his energy into his software startup and attending all-night raves, soon realizing college is not the path to launch him into the stratospheres of success he so desires. When an opportunity to sell drugs presents itself, Gordon is all-in and soon finds himself burning the candle at both ends.

But he's young and success-driven, and he believes not only can he do this, he can rise to the top of his game, both as CEO and drug dealer. The people he's met along the way and his partners at Sagan Software all want to see him succeed-or at least that's what Gordon believes. Gordon, though, is not the only one with big dreams, and as he descends into an exceedingly more perilous situation, he begins to realize that not everyone is who they seem to be and that some people are willing to do anything to make it to the top.