Ardell Moors is the pilot on the first manned mission to Mars, searching for signs of water so a self-sustaining colony can be established to help save humanity from its own destruction. But a mysterious signal that could indicate alien life in the universe alters the focus of the mission. As he prepares for landing in the Hydroates Chaos region, Ardell feels as if someone were calling out to him. Then, inside the cave from which the signal emanates, he is strangely compelled to press the control-changing his life forever. When Ardell discovers that he's able to decipher the information for building advanced alien technology, it leads to humanity's first starship...and he and five others head for Alpha Centauri aboard the . Ardell then spends many years traveling the stars, during which he discovers habitable planets that can be colonized by the people of a dying Earth, encounters Dyson spheres from which vast amounts of energy can be drawn, and forms an alliance with friendly aliens against the xenophobic Talil. But through all this excitement and adventure, can Ardell ever come to terms with the mysterious changes that have been imposed upon him?