For twelve-year-old Arthur, the summer holidays are all about fishing, relaxing and trying to avoid doing his chores. But this summer something unexpected is about to happen, involving a peculiar white light, a curious box and a request for help from a secret government space project.

The journey starts when Arthur discovers a mysterious black box which takes him to a top secret government space division in Siberia. Here he learns that the box and another Artefact are the keys to reaching another civilisation, but they won't work without Arthur. He has no choice but to join the Earth's first interplanetary expedition to the farthest reaches of space. Before Arthur has undergone any training, the mission is suddenly put in jeopardy and must be launched immediately. Worse still, all is not well when they arrive.

A terrible hundred-year-war is building to its final battle and in this alien land where conflicts are fought with giant robots, tanks that levitate and plasma weapons, Arthur must trust in his friends and summon the courage to fight and survive. But the stakes are higher than he could ever have imagined...