It's 1899, and inventor Hiram Codon is ready to launch the first manned rocket into space. The trouble is that he keeps losing pilots. After a rash of mishaps and sabotage attempts, only two people have not fled the operation-Ravi Mukherjee, Hiram's reluctant assistant and Sophia Westbridge the intrepid daughter of a British army officer. With Hiram's rivals and backers both closing in to take the rocket for their own ends, Ravi must decide whether to risk everything to make history and further scientific progress-not to mention impress the girl-or stop Hiram's mad scheme before it gets them...