Architectural historian Roy Burnell navigates a fractured, near-future world, attempting to preserve cultural remnants amidst global instability. Tasked with documenting and salvaging the remnants of civilization, Burnell encounters a series of increasingly bizarre and chaotic environments that challenge his professional detachment. The narrative follows his picaresque movement across a landscape defined by political decay and technological absurdity. Through his eyes, the reader observes a world struggling to maintain its identity against the encroaching forces of entropy and social collapse.

This work is characterized by the distinct, cynical wit typical of the author's later science fiction output. The narrative style leans into the surreal, using the protagonist's academic background to highlight the absurdity of the world he traverses. Readers often note the book's focus on the disintegration of social structures rather than traditional technological speculation. The text functions as a bleak, satirical commentary on the state of global culture at the end of the twentieth century. Its episodic nature ensures that the focus remains on the shifting, often grotesque, landscapes encountered by the lead character.