Visioneers

In a near-future dystopia, the Jeffers Corporation looms as the dominant force in everyday life. Its creed claims that productivity equals happiness, and society worships relentless efficiency. The company even uses a middle-finger logo as the standard greeting, symbolizing the suppression of independent thought and intimacy.

George Washington Winsterhammerman is a Level-3 'tunt' employee at Jeffers, a symbol of the system's quiet hierarchy. He suffers from overeating and impotence as a consequence of alienation within this culture. His body and mind reflect the cost of living under a machine-driven happiness.

George begins experiencing dreams in which he is the first President of the United States, wrestling with the fear of losing the Revolutionary War. He contemplates surrender to the British and wrestles with concepts of freedom and betrayal. These dreams feel like dangerous echoes of a past life that the society tries to erase.

Authorities tell him that dreams are a symptom of stress that leads to spontaneous bodily explosions, a problem that is spreading around the world. The state and Jeffers reinforce the official narrative, labeling inner visions as threats to public safety. The tension between dreaming and compliance grows.

Government efforts to curb explosions intensify, culminating in neck-worn inhibitors created by the Jeffers Corporation. Even as the devices spread, people like George's coworker Todd continue to explode, illustrating the system's failure to root out the danger. The inhibitors become a symbol of control over personal inner life.

After Charisma, George's friend and superior, is fired, George discovers she now works at a café. He seeks her out there in an attempt to avoid unhappiness and reconnect with something human. The café setting becomes a small oasis amidst the corporate tyranny.

Charisma confides that she too has dreams and that they involve George and them running away together. The dreams hint at a shared longing for intimacy that the inhibitors cannot extinguish. Their conversation plants a fragile hope that love might still exist.

After his wife and son leave due to their own unhappiness, George feels the weight of personal loss. The breakdown of his family mirrors the larger breakdown of authentic connection in society. The personal becomes a political crisis in this dystopia.

Mr. Jeffers visits George, asking why he drew a sunset and expressing belief that George could be a nearly perfect Jeffers drone. He is impressed by George's potential and signals readiness to purge his dreams to end his anger and desire. He hints that removing what George loves most would silence the inner rebellion.

George returns to Charisma and finds her brainwashed by the inhibitor program. The bond they once shared has been submerged beneath a wave of corporate control. The reunion exposes how deeply the inhibitors reshape personal relationships.

To carry out the purge, George takes Charisma on a yacht with the intent of killing her, attempting to eradicate the source of his longing. The voyage becomes a twisted test of his will against the system's demands. The yacht scene marks a climactic turn in his struggle between love and obedience.

During the voyage, George makes a final attempt to rekindle the intimacy they shared by removing Charisma's inhibitor. He hopes that freeing her will also free his own feelings. The act blurs the line between murder and mercy in a world that values control over emotion.

Charisma initially cannot remember George, but gradually recalls him and breaks into tears. The inhibitors' manufactured obedience collapses as genuine memory resurfaces. Their emotional release reveals a stubborn spark of humanity beneath the corporate sheen.

They embrace and spend the night together, a small victory for personal connection. In a final dreamlike moment, George imagines George Washington crossing in a canoe, salutes him, and basks in the sun. The scene leaves open whether true freedom can ever emerge from a society built on productivity.