In the title story of this outstanding collection, a group of cosmonauts discovers the remains of an advanced civilization in a remote star system—destroyed when their sun went supernova. They find that the civilization was very similar to Earth's—and that its people knew of their coming doom centuries before it occurred. What they find leads their chief astrophysicist—also a Jesuit priest—into a deep crisis of faith, sparked by a shocking revelation that has implications not just for history—but for religion.

This collection of short stories demonstrates not only Clarke's technological imagination—but also a deep poetic sensibility that led him to ponder the philosophical and moral implications of technological advances. These stories demonstrate the range of his vision as an author—based on both our scientific potential and the deeper aspects of the human condition.