The book gives details about Enoch Wallace, a man on planet earth whose farm has been chosen as a way station for the intergalactic missions. Enoch participated in the American Civil War where he witnessed many of his friends dying. However, after the Civil War, he is approached by Ulysses, a representative of the Galactic Council, who requests him whether he can set up a station in his farmhouse. At first, Enoch was reluctant but after being lured with incentives he obliged. The representative promised Enoch that he won’t grow old. The youthful appearance of Enoch after more than a hundred years of living stuns the U.S government.
Enoch has been given a gift of immortality but suffers alienation as he is required to stay inside the station and conceal the secret. The interaction between Enoch and aliens elevates his ecstasy, especially when discussing human life. Life goes on normally because Mary and David Ransome keep him company. The book explores the beauty of life through Enoch because he wishes to stay like this eternally. Enoch is living a good life and never wants his intergalactic friends to vanish into thin air.
Planet earth is characterized by challenges and despair. Enoch’s plan to live forever is upended when a rumor of an imminent war reaches him. Additionally, an alien body is discovered on his farm. The author seems to address the consequences that stem from the war. War brings conflicts that lead to losses and deaths. Enoch was having a good time but the imminent war robs him of his eternity. The moral lesson of the story is to avoid conflicts that bring wars.
