-Ferris F. Fremont has schemed his way into office as president, and launched an attack against an unseen internal enemy, Aramchek. Aramchek, which no one had heard of before the dawn of Ferris Fremont's term, was a supposed underground organization of communist sympathizers.
-Philip K. Dick is a struggling Science fiction author, trying not to come under the attention of Friends of the American People (FAP), part of Ferris Fremont's campaign against those involved in Aramchek.
-Nicholas Brady is Phil's friend, a University of Berkley reject-turned-record label executive. He is recieving transmissions (instructions) from an extra-terrestrial entity that may or may not be God, which he has dubbed Valis.
-It is later learned that Aramchek is actually the organization of those who are receiving instruction from Valis, which will lead to the eventual overthrow of Ferris F. Fremont, who himself was a member of the communist party.