The healthcare system has developed a novel treatment method utilizing the latest consciousness storage and regeneration technology, giving rise to the virtual nostalgic city of San Junipero. According to the law, individuals can voluntarily choose whether to preserve their consciousness in San Junipero after death. Meanwhile, those suffering from terminal illnesses or conditions such as Alzheimer's disease are allowed scheduled weekly trials of the San Junipero system every Saturday to alleviate their pain or undergo nostalgic memory therapy for dementia.
Yorkshire is one such trial user. As a homosexual, her unconventional orientation led to rejection and misunderstanding from her conservative parents. After a heated argument with them, she was involved in a car accident that left her confined to a hospital bed. She was only 21 years old at the time.
When Yorkshire was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few months to live, she was granted access to San Junipero. She wandered through the city, once again experiencing her 21-year-old body. It was a city brimming with passion, where everyone seemed endlessly happy. Having been bedridden for decades, Yorkshire gazed curiously at everything around her. The bar played popular songs from the late 1980s, and there, she unexpectedly met the enthusiastic Kelly.
Kelly’s captivating appearance left Yorkshire instantly smitten. Yet, years of emotional restraint made her hesitant to accept Kelly’s advances. Using the excuse of having a fiancé, she hurriedly left. A week later, Yorkshire returned to the bar. She wanted to fulfill her deepest desires before her life ended. That night, she cast aside past taboos, and the same-sex romance made her reluctant to part. However, whether she wished to or not, her time in San Junipero would end at midnight, returning her to reality.
Another Saturday arrived, and Yorkshire waited at the bar for a long time without seeing Kelly. Week after week, she entered San Junipero with hope and left with disappointment. Finally, she spotted a familiar figure. But Kelly’s attitude had drastically changed from weeks before; she seemed unwilling to maintain their fleeting connection. Having never experienced love before, Yorkshire faced her first heartbreak. Sitting sorrowfully on the rooftop, she was eventually approached by Kelly, who felt she had been too harsh. Kelly, too, was merely a visitor to San Junipero. Uncertain about whether she would permanently reside there someday, she had avoided Yorkshire out of fear of forming attachments. Yorkshire didn’t blame her. The following week, Kelly was set to marry someone else. Suddenly, Kelly was struck with an idea—she wanted to meet the real Yorkshire.
Elderly Kelly, trembling and supported by a caregiver, made her way into the hospital. She had traveled over a hundred kilometers just to see Yorkshire in reality. Yorkshire lay motionless in her hospital bed, kept alive only by life support. There, Kelly met Yorkshire’s fiancé, Greg, the caregiver. Out of pity, Greg had agreed to marry Yorkshire, who was decades older than him. After the wedding, as her immediate family member, he would sign the euthanasia agreement, ending Yorkshire’s life. Her consciousness would then permanently reside in San Junipero, where she could live free of worries.
After repeated pleas from Kelly, Greg used his privileges to allow her and Yorkshire to meet in San Junipero. Kelly knelt on one knee and proposed to Yorkshire, who joyfully accepted. At the hospital bedside, a pastor presided over a simple ceremony for the two. After the ceremony, Kelly signed the euthanasia agreement for Yorkshire. The life support system was withdrawn, and cyanide flowed into Yorkshire’s body through the IV drip.
That night, dressed in a wedding gown, Kelly finally reunited with Yorkshire, who had been waiting for her in San Junipero. Yet, after the initial excitement, Kelly fell into deep conflict. She had once been married and had a daughter. Her daughter had died young in an accident, and the pain of outliving her child had haunted Kelly and her husband for years. Two years earlier, her husband had passed away. Because of their daughter, he had missed the chance to join San Junipero and had refused to enter it. Kelly loved Yorkshire, but that didn’t mean she had no feelings for her husband and daughter. She struggled to decide whether to remain in San Junipero after death or rest in the grave alongside her husband and daughter.
After days of contemplation, Kelly made her decision. She chose euthanasia—her body would lie in the grave alongside her family, while her consciousness would remain forever with Yorkshire in San Junipero. Today, the consciousness chips of Yorkshire and Kelly appear as forever glowing dots on the server interface of San Junipero, nestled closely together.