The movie is set in the year 2084. Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) is a construction worker who has been experiencing dreams about exploring the planet Mars with a sexy brunette. After seeing an ad from Rekall, a company that sells imaginary adventures by implanting memories, he decides to buy a ?vacation? on Mars from them, one in which he will take a vacation from himself by becoming a spy. Rekall calls it an ?ego trip.? Before buying the vacation, Quaid is cautioned by a co-worker that Rekall are ?lobotomizing people?, in reference to failed memory implants which caused the recipients to suffer permanent brain damage. Quaid disregards this warning.