In 2055, Newark is an over-crowded urban nightmare populated by hordes of SINless indigents. Millions live in abject poverty. Violect is rampant. Brutal gangs and vicious criminals control many sections of the city like feudal lords. Amid this harrowing landscape, Rico gathers his team: Shank, Thorvin, Piper, and the eccentric shaman known as Bandit. The job is to free a man from a corporate contract that is the moral equalvent of slavery, but that is only the beginning. The runners' diverse skills and talents are swiftly put to the test. Rico's challenge is to keep the team alive as they sort through a maze of corporate intrigue and misdirection, but without discarding honor, for without honor a man is nothing. Honor alone distinguishes a man from the ravaging dogs that fill the streets, and as the runners soon learn, the price of honor is high.