chunk: Guy and Mary Burckhardt wake up in their house in Tylerton on June 15, having both had terrible nightmares, but they can't recall the events of their dreams. Guy dismisses the dream and goes to work as usual, the downtown offices of Contro Chemicals, which operates a highly automated and robot-staffed petrochemicals plant. But something isn't right; he is surrounded everywhere by loud and all-pervasive advertising jingles for everything from cigarettes to freezers.
  A colleague named Swanson tries to speak to him but apparently doesn't get the desired reaction from Burckhardt and leaves. Burckhardt goes home, but the next morning, when he wakes up, he's had the same nightmare and the date is still June 15th. He knows what will happen when he gets to the office and that Swanson will again try to speak to him. This in fact happens.