Thibodaux James Renwalt, or Tibby as he was called by his friends, was just your typical Earthman. Recently discharged from his service in the United Stated Navy and working as an engineer for the city of New Orleans, maintaining the pumps that kept the city dry. Tibby decides to spend some time at a fishing hole in the swamp shown to him by his grandfather when he was a small boy. His trip turns out to be more than he expects when he discovers an ancient alien spaceship buried in the mud of the swamp. After entering the craft, Tibby accidentally engages an autopilot causing the ship to take off with him aboard, navigating through space to its preset destination. What follows are adventures beyond Tibby's wildest dreams, as the ship contains a cargo of the rarest and most valuable substance in the universe, Solbidyum. Tibby arrives in the Federation space and is greeted by a large Star Ship with thousands of people aboard. He soon discovers he is about to become the richest man in the universe, but not without considerable enemies trying to capture both him and the Solbidyum cargo. Tibby finds himself thrust into a role of hero and falls in love with a beautiful woman, but soon finds that some of his decisions result in the loss of thousands of lives.