'[2] Califia takes place in a reimagined California, in which a large amount of gold has gone missing at some point in the past five generations.
Unlike many other hypertext novels, Califia uses links to support the reader's traversal of the work, rather than to change the meaning of the story.
[4] The reader is encouraged to return to the beginning of the story after reaching the end, representing the cyclical nature of the journey.
As N. Katherine Hayles explains in Writing Machines, the work requires reading on multiple levels and the text is only a small portion of the meaning.
N Katherine Hayles (2002) Writing Machines[7] As Califia is unsupported by modern devices, you can view the author's still-frame traversal of the work here.