A man named Robbo Shaan finds himself stranded in the Martian desert after being branded a traitor for advocating democracy against the Imperial Government. With limited oxygen and no means of communication, he embarks on a desperate crawl toward a distant dome, hoping to survive. As he traverses the harsh landscape, he discovers that the canal sage plants provide breathable air, allowing him to survive longer than expected. After days of crawling, he eventually finds refuge in a giant canal cactus, where he discovers a source of water and encounters small, intelligent Martian creatures. Shaan's journey leads him to a dome inhabited by two sisters, Lori and Vali, after he manages to escape the cactus. He deceives them into letting him in, but his true intentions are to secure a means of escape. When their father arrives, Shaan uses a drug to incapacitate the sisters and confronts their father, ultimately taking control of the situation. As he grapples with his identity as a democrat in a repressive regime, he realizes that survival may require abandoning the comforts of civilization. In a final act of defiance, he destroys his marshelmet, symbolizing his rejection of the oppressive system and his commitment to a new way of life on Mars.
By Charles L. Fontenay · First published 1951 · Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Speculative Fiction