Colene, who appears to be bright and popular at school, secretly flirts with suicide and cutting herself for emotional release. Her deathwish prompts her to approach a strange man that she finds in a ditch on her way home from school, and her relationship with Darius begins. Meanwhile, Darius has encountered another anchor—Provos, a strange older woman, while traveling toward Colene. Able to remember the future, she is able to help him avoid or defeat many hazards on the Virtual Mode. Eventually, they reach a series of beacons, which they follow to DoOon.