The water has been contaminated. Mentally ill people can be affected by the Taint. As a result, they become raving misogynists, ready to use boulders to shatter the skulls of women (or other objects). Phil O'Ginny and Misandra are the only ones who can stop the evil of The Taint when civilization is converted into a place of sadistic violence and harrowing brutality. Can they survive in a world where castration and skull smashing are commonplace?