When natural disasters, famine, social chaos, and government collapse spell the end of human existence, a new world is born. But in some ways it's really a return to an old world, and its survival depends on total government control. The new one-government world must rebuild with survivors and remaining technology. And simplicity holds the answers. Sort of. In the early decades of the 21st century people demanded more government intervention, thinking life would be better. The government agreed, providing housing, food, jobs, clothing, drugs, and of all things- music. After all, who can live without music. But by mid-century the music of the day was as bleak and featureless as everything else. Although it was a dark, heavy-metal, meaningless kind of music, it was all anybody knew. The people wanted it, and the government needed it. It was cheap entertainment, but also a valuable tool. It was the oil in the machine, keeping things running in a rough world . It may seem impossible, but in the future the music of Bach, Mozart, and many other greats, even the Beatles, Dylan, Led Zeppelin, country, rock, jazz and other styles and genres would be forgotten. Until one man finds a way to revive music of the past, and use it to rebuild, reshape society, soothing the savage world. After all, music has always had a significant impact on societies everywhere throughout history. But nothing is easy to fix when time is not on your side. In the year 2096, resources are still very limited, tightly controlled, and people living too long is a problem for the government. This kind of future should be no surprise. You can see it coming if you open your eyes and ears. What's happening today is nothing new, and tomorrow may be just a repeat of the past. Societies rise and fall, and music will always be in the mix. What goes around, comes around. History proves it. But in the future, history may very well. . . fade into history, along with great literature and other evidence of the best of human achievement. History is the foundation on which to build the future, but if that foundation crumbles, or gets erased, so will the future. All that can be done is to re-build from the ground up, from scratch. Darkness is the absence of light, and it is the responsibility of the musician to bring light into the darkness of the human heart and soul. And some of that music, centuries later, still burns bright. All we have to do is let it shine. In 2096, one man is about to open a can of Beethoven #9.