In the near future, virtual reality is king. The Segmentation Initiative (SI) was set up to create virtual copies of different periods and locations of the real world so that they could be preserved for posterity. Segment selection involves a complex cerebral algorithm that picks the best fellow visitors for you to spend your time with when you visit.
Paul's boss has sent him on a mandatory vacation to a "Segment", leaving the destination up to SI's Operators. The people he meets are...uh...worrisome, to say the least.
Maybe there was a bug in the selection program?