Two sociologists infiltrate a small-town spiritualist group to study their beliefs, only to find themselves becoming active participants in the delusion. Roger Zimmern and Fred Turner, researchers from a university, arrive in a rural community to observe a group led by a young woman who claims to communicate with an extraterrestrial entity named Ro. As the researchers attempt to maintain their objective distance, the psychological boundaries between the observers and the observed begin to dissolve. The narrative framework utilizes a shifting perspective that highlights the tension between academic detachment and the seductive nature of shared belief systems. The protagonists face the logical constraint of their own methodology, which slowly fails as they are drawn into the internal logic of the cult.

Discussion often centers on the author's sharp critique of the arrogance inherent in social science research. Readers frequently highlight the clinical yet biting tone used to dismantle the credibility of the academic protagonists. The pacing is noted for its slow, deliberate descent into the irrational, mirroring the researchers' own loss of objectivity. Critics often point to the book's effectiveness in illustrating how easily intelligent individuals can be manipulated by their own desire for significance. The work remains a frequently cited example of how fiction can expose the inherent biases within the observer-subject relationship.