1957. The Soviets are about to reach the moon, and no one knows how. When discontent rocket engineer Dr. Frank Huguenard is recruited into a shadow operation by the brilliant Dr. Frances von Munger, he finds himself analyzing a fragment of intelligence that could reshape the balance of power: a mysterious message pointing to Kysyl Khoto, a remote railhead deep in Soviet territory, where something extraordinary is being built. What begins as a technical analysis becomes a dangerous entanglement of espionage, ambition, and chemistry. Frances understands economics and intelligence with a precision that makes Frank question everything he thought he knew about the race to space. Together, they must unravel not just the engineering secrets of a Soviet super-rocket, but the human motives driving both sides toward the same silent crater. This is Cold War science fiction at its most paranoid and personal: a novel where the missiles haven't launched yet, but the pressure is already unbearable.
