Why have young people been kidnapped throughout the whole of history? It has to be stopped but where do the abductors come from? And Stuart has other problems nearer to home. Firstly, there's an ex-slave, from the time of Socrates, building a forge in the garden of the village pub. It's a shock when a village boy asks him if he's on his way to another planet and can he come along. It's even more of a shock to discover that he's been the friend of the Darrington family since 1897. Stuart and his friends may have to move from the village they call home, maybe even leave Earth for good....