Kori is having terrible nightmares - nightmares that she has murdered someone - so often that she can't sleep at all. Her new co-worker hates her. In fact, he is making a career of irritating her; and now her lack of sleep is beginning to affect everything she does. Everyone has suggestions, from sleeping pills to psychiatrists. Can anything help her get beyond these nightmares and get to sleep, so she can just go on with her life?

Leeza Hamilton is a famous performer who has everything she could possibly want, searching for meaning to her life. When she meets a young lady, Jane, in a red cloak who looks just like her, they decide to change places for just one day. Although the simplicity of Jane's life is attractive at first, Leeza becomes afraid when she it looks as if she won't be able to escape and return to the life that is really hers.

A global disaster, known as The Great Devastation, had drastically changed life on earth. Layla, a Kidgen, or Kid-Genius, was living and working at the Complex, where the Insiders had everything provided for them. She was aware of the Outsiders who were just scraping by without the use of technology, but she didn't have any reason to think much about them - until Kenrick, one of her friends who was also a Comgen (Computer-Genius), secretly arranged for four friends to travel. Suddenly Layla became curious. What was life Outside really like? Where would they go? Would they be able to get back...