
In an alternative version of American history, JFK is in his third term as President, Michigan is basically one huge fiery riot, and the government is subjecting soldiers returning from Vietnam to experimental psychological treatment. Reenactments of their traumas are resulting in a loss of memory of any of the traumatic events; for some, who went to war with childhood friends, this includes large gaps in their memories over the course of a lifetime. Meanwhile, one failed experiment, known as Rake, has embarked on a killing spree, dragging along a psychologically damaged young woman, Meg, whose boyfriend was killed in Vietnam.