In a future version of California, Los Angeles has broken from the United States following a drastic economic collapse. Most government institutions are now privatized corporations that operate within small city-states. The privatized streets are awash with neon advertising. Hiro Protagonist carries “a matched set of samurai swords” (6) because he wants to intimidate people. Guns, he believes, are not intimidating enough. Hiro works for a pizza restaurant run by the now-corporatized Mafia. Each pizza box is fitted with a timer to ensure speedy delivery. In the event of a late pizza, the head of the Mafia, Uncle Enzo, apologizes to the customer, and the delivery driver is executed. Hiro likes the thrill of this dangerous approach to pizza delivery. He does not get along with people, so he cannot work as a computer programmer, and he has held many jobs. Hiro arrives at the restaurant to collect an order. The restaurant is on fire, but he is handed a delivery by the immigrant from Abkhazia who has been hired to run the store. The delivery must be completed in 10 minutes, but the destination is “twelve miles away” (12).