Sam Webb remembers things that no one else does. He has memories of events that never occurred and people who never existed, slowly driving him mad. He's a key player in a global conspiracy that is rewriting history, and he wants out. There's only one problem. He has no idea how far he's actually in. The most historic invention ever created lies in secret beneath a nuclear plant in Waxahachie, Texas. It opens a door to a dimension not constrained by the known limits of space and time. Rather than for noble scientific discovery, however, AlphaGroup's ruthless CEO, Johnson Dravek, is using the machine in pursuit of ultimate power. Sam Webb is Dravek's ripper, the traveler inside the machine. His job is simple-to make money for the company by orchestrating "forwards," business deals designed to cash in on events that have already come to pass. Each time he does his job, however, history is altered and lives are destroyed. He copes by drinking. While carrying out his latest assignment to exploit the housing market crash of 2007, Webb begins uncovering the truth of Dravek's master plan and how he really controls his sweeping empire. With the help of Marcus Planck, a brilliant physicist and inventor, Webb devises a plan to take down Dravek by using the machine against him. From 2131 to 1980, he leaps through time, striking deals at precise moments in order to bankrupt AlphaGroup and salvage whatever future may be left. The deeper he gets, the more corruption he unearths, including deceit, theft, and murder. Along the way, as each rip through time takes an ever-greater toll on his body and mind, Webb must face the repercussions of his own choices, including the impact they've had on the people he cares about most. But even he can't foresee just how important his past is to the future, and finding out who he really is may be the end of it all.
