Red Cheer is set in the near future, after a collapse of the economy. Giant corporations rule society, pestered by cults like the Iboga Underground. This group is led by Mark Weber, a charismatic and brilliant rebel who is obsessed with ibogaine, an hallucinogenic drug used by an African tribe to enhance memory. He recruits Arthur Linov, an aging ex-hippie, to help steal massive amounts of chemicals for an ibogaine attack on society. Agents of the megacorps are trying to infiltrate the group. Linov, with his memories of the '60's and another psychedelic era, becomes an influential member of the cult, and the climactic ibogaine initiation brings all these forces together. The novel explores themes of memory and the possibility of spiritual revival in a difficult era.