The story is primarily told from Grant's perspective (the ship's captain), who becomes frustrated with McNeil's apparent inconsiderate behavior.
However, McNeil reveals that he foresaw the murder and replaced the ship's poison with a bitter salt, so that he could detect its presence if Grant tried to use it.
The short story ends with a retrospective retelling of the decision process by McNeil (the survivor), who is rescued after being alone aboard his space freighter for three weeks.
[2] The ship in "Breaking Strain" shares several similarities with Discovery One in the 1968 film and Clarke's 1968 novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The story was the inspiration for Breaking Strain, the first novel in the Venus Prime series by Paul Preuss.