At forty-five, Keith Robertson finds himself in an exciting new job. As senior engineer on special assignment to InfoPower, he's sent to work at a virtual library. After just one day, he's bought into the buzz: here, you don't see the library ... you experience it.

Keith's success is closely tied to the new woman in his life. Lib, the virtual librarian, is a product of revolutionary software that makes her seem like a real person. As Lib interacts with people, her software evolves.

But as more individuals seek out Lib's help, she begins acting erratically. Keith researches the problem,...