Firestarter is set in the near future, in the year 2010. A malicious virus has infected a virtual reality machine, the FireStarter. The intruding program has caused the computer to malfunction. The rules of the simulation have been altered in a potentially deadly manner, with the player's consciousness trapped inside. There is only one possible way to escape, by completing the game within a period of 48 virtual hours. The penalty for failing to do so is the ultimate one - real death.