In future San Francisco, Kaneda has been a homeless hacker for years. But his blog following has never been better.
Dodging flying cars and jam sessions with ragtag rockers keep him in shape. By the time they get a new condo he's almost forgotten the concrete jungle.
One day, while tinkering with the television, a portal appears on the screen. Stepping inside, Kaneda and his two bandmates discover trees as far as the eye can see. Soon enough they're lost. And a lot more bored than they'd planned. That is, until they begin to hear the whispers.
Before long they bump into post-technological humans in thrall to arboreal Sirens. Staying means freedom from his checkered past. But, unwilling to sell his soul to tree-huggers, Kaneda ventures deep into the forest in search of the fabled technology to trigger a homeward portal.