Earth suffers from war, famine, and disaster, and many of its citizens escape reality in a complex virtual world called the Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation, or the OASIS. When its creator, James Halliday, dies, he leaves behind clues to find an “Easter Egg” within the OASIS. Wade Watts, the narrator of the story, says: “Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest” (1).

Halliday leaves a video titled Anorak’s Invitation (named for his OASIS avatar Anorak) which explains that whomever solves the contest will gain his entire fortune and control of the OASIS. Halliday also leaves Anorak’s Almanac—a collection of his journal entries centered on his cultural obsession with the 1980s. Those who participate in the contest are given the name “gunters” (short for egg hunters). Halliday’s website is now a scoreboard tracking the progress of OASIS members participating in the Hunt.

Five years pass with no progress on the Hunt. Wade says: “On the evening of February 11, 2045, an avatar’s name appeared at the top of the Scoreboard, for the whole world to see” (9). While many have attempted to tell his story, Wade now wants to tell it himself.