Carl Adamson is homeless, barely surviving on the harsh streets of Westport, Pennsylvania. One day, he crosses paths with himself, an alternate version of Carl from a parallel universe, in which he is the leader of a globe-spanning dystopia.

Being the leader of this brutally oppressive state, President Carl has countless enemies bent on seeing him dead. Therefore, he makes the homeless version of himself an irresistible offer—to become the President’s body double, living a life of luxury while making the occasional public appearance.

Carl the homeless man naturally accepts, only to find out that life in the reality next door is that of a bird in a gilded cage. And since Carl is the President’s doppelganger, he’s always in the crosshairs of the enemies of the state.