[1][2] It was inspired by the non-fiction work, The Jupiter Effect by John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann, in which an alignment of the planets of the Solar System in March 1982 was predicted as possibly causing disasters on Earth, including a large earthquake in California, by its effect on the solar wind.
The novel also focuses on Danny Deere, a real estate speculator who sponsors a cult called the "Jupes" to spread panic and drive down values so he can cash in.
They are thrown together during committee meetings overshadowed by rising panic among the population, especially when typical California disasters like wildfires occur.
In the final chapter, it is discovered that the Newton-8 probe shut down as it passed through an intense burst of radio transmission from an extraterrestrial source.
The novel ends with people realizing that civilizations can survive the self-destructive phase of their technological progress.