An ordinary boy's life turns upside down when a double who looks exactly like him shows up at his home. The newcomer is no fake: he is the original, and the boy learns that he himself is only a clone, a stand-in for the family who has been enjoying a life meant for someone else. Unknown to the people of Earth, alien arms dealers secretly control the planet and use it as a supersoldier factory, abducting gifted "special kids" to fight in an interstellar war on the far side of the universe. One such kid has escaped captivity and made his way back to Earth, and the unarmed clone is drawn into the heart of that war. The story is a suspenseful piece of science fiction.