Research mechanical engineer Zeek Brunel's professional life is going well but his personal life is falling apart. His girlfriend has disappeared, his Group has ceased to respond to his messages and he has only a Civil Service Competition to take his mind off his troubles. On the human residential level of mammoth spaceship Eagle Ship A7 where he lives there are ten different sectors. Several, such as Edinburgh, Oxford and Liverpool sectors, are exact copies of parts of early 21st century cities on Old Earth. Others, such as Polar, Rainbow and Wengen are different. Old New York for example is an approximate recreation of the southern end of late 19th century New York. Zeek's competition instructions lead him from one to another, trying to puzzle out a clue in each . Eagle Ship A7's human residential level is seven miles in diameter, with each sector being a rough triangle two miles across the base by three mile from base to apex. Their size adds to Zeek difficulty in locating the clues. No sooner has he started his quest when two mysterious men appear and try to kidnap him. Lacking wealth or any serious enemies of which he is aware, Zeek is at a total loss to explain the changes in his life but, being a stubborn individual and having nothing more than an overheard snatch of conversation that he could take to the police, he continues to work his way onwards day by day. He is determined to find where the clues finally lead and why anyone should wish to take him prisoner. On his journey he meets the ship's captain, a Zulu safari guide, a femme fatale, a pair of Oliver and Hardy lookalikes and Hunter, the person controlling his pursuers who he christens Dobermen as he lacks names for them. But which, if any, of these people are part of his quest round the ship? He nearly completes his circuit of the human residential level, runs into more trouble and then fears he faces a terrible meeting. Once again he can only press on to arrive at a possible set of answers to his questions.