What we refer to as "modern man" sprang into existence some forty thousand years ago. These ancestors of ours entered a world dominated by Neanderthals, a hardy bunch, stronger than we and equally as smart. How we managed to survive and the Neanderthals did not is a story that has never been told. Until now. An ancient astronaut awakening from a 40-thousand-year sleep has no idea who he is or why he is floating naked in the middle of an empty ocean. Chance brings him to combine forces with a young woman on a passing sailboat about to be murdered by Bahamian drug runners. Driven by separate goals but increasingly attracted to one another, the two plot to turn the tables on a confused but determined mob. As the astronaut slowly recalls his ancient past, the gripping story of how he (and we) got here unfolds.