When the story begins, the reader discovers that the main character, Buster Landru "Rant" Casey, is already deceased.

Throughout the book various people discuss their memories of Buster and the world he lived in, presenting stories in an occasionally conflicting timeline.

He acquires the nickname Rant from a childhood prank involving animal organs which results in numerous people becoming ill.

When Rant arrives in the city, it becomes clear to the reader that the novel takes place in a dystopian future, where urban dwellers are forcefully divided by curfew into two separate classes: the respectable Daytimers and the oppressed Nighttimers.

The object of the game is to crash, not too forcefully, into other players who sport a certain "flag", such as a Christmas tree on their car's roof or the words "Just Married" scrawled on their vehicle's rear windshield.

The latter is believed to have happened to Green Taylor Simms, a fellow Party Crasher, who is implied to be Buster Casey in some form.