Jim Thompson is broke, homeless, and alone.

  One year ago he lived a comfortable life, with twenty-five years married to a woman he loved, twenty-three years at a good job, and a country home he built for retirement.

  He is now fifty-four years old, lives in his truck, showers occasionally at a cheap gym, and eats the bargain meals at fast food places-if he is lucky. Unknown to him, his luck is about to change drastically.

  Jim is being watched and evaluated for participation in a crucial mission; an assignment originating on someone else's world - with the capability of destroying ours.