

As the boys discover, the bubble is capable of moving at near-limitless distances and speeds without the usual ill effects from inertia.

The chip enables the generation of an electromagnetic bubble which surrounds a pre-determined area. Wolfgang builds an actual microchip based on Ben's drawings. Both boys meet punkish-but-likable Darren Woods, with whom they share their circuit-board concepts. At school, Ben develops a crush on Lori Swenson, but he is not sure whether it is mutual. Ben shows the sketches to his friend, child prodigy Wolfgang Muller. Every night, upon waking from the dream, he draws the circuit board.

Ben Crandall is a young teenage boy living in a fictional Maryland suburb, who experiences vivid dreams about flying through clouds and over a vast, city-like circuit board, usually after falling asleep watching old sci-fi films ( The War of the Worlds is a favorite).
