In an unspecified American city of the near future, Nate Campbell is an arsonist at the Convicts Convention, or Con Con, a job fair for convicts. He pitches himself to various companies, promising that he'll be able to "rise from the ashes" of his previous crimes, hoping he can land a gig as one of their sponsors. He has no luck. Nate bumps into his cellmate, James Godrey, who's in "corporate hell," their form of prison, for having committed identity theft. James encourages Nate to pitch himself to Eckleburger, a company that makes test-tube burgers. At first, Nate refuses, citing racist comments that the company's CEO made in the past; however, James convinces Nate that he'd be perfect for the company because they need to revamp their image. With newfound confidence, Nate pitches himself to Eckleburger. The Eckleburger representative loves it–but he offers James the job. It turns out that the rep had promised James the job if he could convince someone else that Eckleburger was a good company. Nate attacks James, and he's sent back to corporate hell, jobless.