The inauguration of the world’s first space elevator is about to usher in a new era of cheap space travel, eliminating the need for rockets to reach Earth’s orbit. However, on the elevator’s first trip, the crawler stalls 22,236 miles up, which is precisely at GEO—geosynchronous equatorial orbit. No one understands what’s going on, but with the entire world watching, and a group of increasingly nervous VIPs trapped inside, pressure mounts to get the elevator moving as soon as possible. All hope rests on one man, Clarence Ackerman, creator of the proprietary diamond-thread cable that was the key to the space elevator’s inception. But even though Clarence might be able to save those stuck inside, whether he wants to do so is a completely different matter.