A motiveless kidnapping and a solo flight to the dark side of the moon are juxtaposed in William Corlett's extraordinary novel. At first the narratives seem unrelated until the reader sees the dramatic parallels in the two situations, which give the book its force and relevance. The story begins with the kidnapping. A boy is taken from his Scottish boarding school but there seems to be no reason behind the kidnapping: no ransom, no threats, just a note saying WE HAVE GOT YOUR BOY. MAY SOCIETY ROT AND THIS MESS OF A WORLD PERISH. While the police sift through the evidence, a lonely astronaut faces his private terrors during a critical moon flight.