In the early years of the twenty-first century, humans have advanced step by slow step into space. Constantly monitoring the heavens, they have discovered that certain asteroids have changed their orbits-and are on a collision course with Earth. Urgent action is required, but politics and a worldwide financial crash are getting in the way. To save humanity from disaster, two of Earth's prominent families, a host of political movers and shakers, and dedicated pilots and space travelers of all stripes must band together. From the government offices and factories of Earth, to the low Earth orbit station, to manufacturing facilities on the moon, all spacefaring humanity is united in an epic effort to save the planet from certain destruction and a new Dark Age-or perhaps even the extinction of all life on Earth.