The year is 1970, and the setting is a radio telescope on the North Yorkshire moors in England. While doing routine work on the telescope Fleming picks up a signal from the Andromeda Galaxy. His interest aroused, Fleming trains the telescope in the direction of the signal, which is a series of long and short beeps, like a morse code message. Fleming continues to listen to the signal, and its repetitive pattern eventually convinces him that it must be from an intelligent source. Fleming informs his colleagues, who are equally convinced, and then his employers, the Ministry of Defence, who compel him to secrecy on pain of losing his job.