When Colin Thurcroft decided to expand his hiking gear business with a retail outlet, the derelict shop close to the centre of his home town seemed ideal. But something truly bizarre happened there nearly forty years ago, and it has left behind some tantalizing clues. As Colin digs deeper, he comes face to face with an international conspiracy beyond his wildest imaginings and the darkest of government secrets. Brought to the very edge of reason, he must challenge his understanding of reality and accept a future within which the human race has little influence.