After Red Dwarf receives a long-overdue software update, the crew learn their employer has been purchased in a takeover by M-Corp, the universe's largest multi-national conglomerate.
After installing the update, the crew are greeted by M-Corp, who reveal they've bought-out the JMC, the former owners of Red Dwarf, in a corporate takeover.
Lister is now essentially alone on board the ship, with many of his personal items invisible to him, such as his beloved guitar, his shaving razor and the couch that he sleeps on.
His currency quickly gets depleted thanks to astronomical prices and the M-Corp software begins manipulating reality to force him into making emergency purchases such as painkillers and fire extinguishers, and charging him in time from his lifespan, quickly aging him.
After tricking the software into corrupting itself, the crew retrieve Lister, now de-aged thanks to the M-Corp installation, and return to Red Dwarf.