The Majestic Draght reaches a solar system that shouldn't really exist: one of the planets orbits both central stars, but in an orbit that runs perpendicular to that of the other celestial bodies. This course should actually lead to powerful catastrophes on a regular basis – and just as the Grosnop's spaceship arrives there, such an event is about to happen. It looks as if Marchenko and his friends will have to repair an entire star system – an impossible task ...