The Peripheral

Flynne Fisher lives in a rural area of a future America, where jobs are scarce unless you're involved in manufacturing illicit drugs. She avoids this path at all costs. Her brother Burton receives a stipend from the Veterans Administration for injuries sustained during his time in the Marines' elite rehabilitation unit. Flynne struggles to make ends meet working on an assembly line producing 3D-printed products, but earns more playing an online game where she competes under a wealthy sponsor's name. In contrast, Wilf Netherton lives in London, 75 years into a slow apocalypse. For now, things seem relatively stable. Wilf is a retired publicist with a nostalgic and romantic streak that contrasts sharply with the society he inhabits, one where virtual time travel is simply a pastime. Meanwhile, Burton has been secretly working on an online project to ensure security in a virtual game set in a world that bears some resemblance to London, but with an even stranger atmosphere. Burton's work involves creating a virtual environment that mirrors real-world locations, including the city of London. This project is part of a larger online community where users can interact and engage with each other in a simulated world.