How do you handle a world gone dystopian, as the Power Elite shadowbox an apocryphal "virus"? Our hero finds solace by running barefoot at the beach at dawn, and on trails in the hills. Living in L.A., the belly of the beast, he connects with family and close ones, and makes occasional getaways with his gal to serene Santa Barbara.

He also slides into mythic Joshua Tree, where he is joined by various personalities, some of whom have escaped from a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, and from a couple of Wim Wenders films. These include his old-time partner JB, as well as the revolver-twirling fat cat Behemoth, and a young German girl newly encountering the desert. At the nighttime campfire, the seasoned characters bat around notions of good and evil, and speak of the "outer realms." And in the day, Alice hears coyote stories and explores wondrous rock formations with her momentary guardian. Meanwhile, the noose tightens around humanity's neck, and our hero strives to survive amidst the new world disorder.