Humanity has conquered hundreds of planets, but many ships were lost during the stampede from Earth. However, having recreated civilization, people could not get rid of those nightmares that destroyed the mother planet: corruption, politics, the power of money, religious and racial divisions, the thirst for profit. A report on the everyday life of Long-Range Space Intelligence, authored by reporter Tom Hunt, is interspersed with memories of his youth during the reign of President Krzeszynski, the first student demonstrations against the regime, the antics of young rebellious people, acts of cheerful disobedience, as well as a later story about the last love of an already aging reporter. The author did not set himself the goal of recreating the image of the great Doctor, but during the period of writing the novel he deliberately kept a collection of articles by Hunter Thompson on his desk. In addition, there is an opinion that this story is not about the past of America, and not about the future of humanity. It's about today.