The forms of sabotage include murder, blackmail, fuel tampering, missile attacks on flights, bombings of ground supply routes, and even radiological terrorism.

Within this broader context, the novel centers on Joe Kenmore, a master machinist whose father's company is tasked with building the pilot gyroscopes which will be responsible for attitude control of the Platform.

Along the way, naturally Joe meets the beautiful and brilliant daughter of the Major commanding the construction project, and they fall in love.

At the end, Leinster breaks the 4th wall and informs the reader that he has attempted to describe a realistic scenario whereby a space station would be placed into orbit.

He indicates the advantage of launch sites near to the equator, and describes a multi-stage launch process which begins with the use of numerous small jet-powered craft ("pushpots") to lift the station and begin its flight, JATOs aboard the pushpots to accelerate it to several thousand MPH, and finally solid fuel rockets which minimize weight by burning away their tubes as the propellant combusts.