In this hardbound edition of the 1st novel of the new series, Tom and his father are ordered to attend a meeting of a world organization on pollution. As they stand practically accused of being among the worst, they are secretly being requested to help create a means to scrub environmental pollutants from the air over the South Pole and to rebuild the ozone layer. As they leave they are accosted by a strange African man who claims that his nation has no water and that Tom must help or all of his people will die. After investigating the situation the young inventor realizes that the man's plea is in earnest and so he now has two major projects to work on: Fix the ozone layer and bring water to a drought-ridden nation. To make things more complicated, a mysterious squadron of all-black MIG fighters keep appearing wherever Tom goes, seemingly bent on destroying everything he is working toward and may even be out to kill him! Is this going to be possible, or is this to be Tom's first major failure?