It is the turn of the twentieth century & a British astronomer, Thayer, high on Darwin & other progressive scientists of the age, arrives in Egypt to embark on the project of a lifetime: the excavation of a triangle in the desert, with sides hundreds of miles long, to be filled with petrol & set alight. The purpose: to send out a signal to life on Mars (for which he has evidence) that humans exist. But as work progresses, the huge task force of Egyptian workers is struck by disease & rebellion, & the success of Thayer`s project looks increasingly uncertain.