Peter Slater has a fast car, a new quantum theory and a passion for Bach. On a Hawaiian island, he is one of the men and women who work, love and compete around TERAC--the particle beam accelerator operated by Japan and the U.S. But when a beautiful photographer and a pushy reporter barge into his life, Peter begins to see TERAC in a new light. Suddenly it's clear that between theory and practice, something is going wrong. An accident, a death, and now the acrid smell of subterfuge point Peter toward his worst fears: TERAC is turning out the most dangerous substance ever made--and someone wants to harness its power!