In the year 3229, a musician named Johannes Wright embarks on a solar-system-wide tour while being hunted by unknown adversaries for reasons he cannot fathom. As the Ninth Master of the legendary Orchestra, a complex instrument created by the physicist Arthur Holywelkin, Wright must navigate the political and physical realities of a scattered human civilization. The narrative follows his progression through the gravity wells of various planets and moons, documenting the tension between his artistic duty and the encroaching threats that shadow his path. The story utilizes a linear progression across a vast, technologically advanced setting to explore the intersection of scientific legacy and musical performance.

This novel represents an early exploration of themes that would later define the author's expansive approach to science fiction. The narrative is characterized by its focus on the technical and aesthetic possibilities of a future society rather than traditional conflict-driven tropes. Readers often note the ambitious scope of the world-building, which emphasizes the scale of a solar-system-wide civilization. The work is viewed as a distinct entry in the author's bibliography, highlighting a unique blend of musicology and speculative physics that sets it apart from more conventional space operas.