In the Saudi desert, in the midst of protracted long-term construction, Alan Clay, not the most successful businessman, is waiting for the weather near the Red Sea. And the arrival of the king - to present advanced holographic technology in order to sign a lucrative contract. But the king still doesn’t go and doesn’t go. However, Alan is no less patient than a soulless hologram for the king, and while waiting he tries to comprehend the world in which he lives and which has changed so much. Quality no longer matters here - only cheapness. Friendship and kindness and pride are no longer important here—only comfort. In this world you live as a bewildered tourist - like in an exotic country where alcohol is prohibited, but everyone drinks heavily; where adultery is punishable by death, but you go on dates and your partner pretends to be a man; where you might want to help, but they expect a dirty trick from you; where every mistake you make is met with almost satisfaction. Where luck always teases you with promises, but never delivers. This is a world in which there are no more chances - because there will always be younger, more successful, more assertive people. And you get old and have long since become redundant, but you continue to live, which means you have hope. Dave Eggers won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “A Heartbreaking Work of Stunning Genius” and literally burst into the first rank of modern writers. He is called the heir of D. Salinger, and each of his novels is truly an event both for literature and for the real reader.