 This takes place against the backdrop of a long-running war between China and the West, which started due to an air-rage incident when a Chinese businessman, under stress due to a smoking-ban, got mistaken for a terrorist.Jase and his fellow laggers encounter a hitchhiker named Ailiss, whom Jase identifies as one of a group of "New Age Settlers" (also known as "crusties" or "bandits"), people who foresee the imminent end of modern society and who have retreated to a semi-hidden rural commune.However, their presence worries the authorities, who become concerned about the security of their nuclear-power station.