The waning of a world

In the early twentieth century, the scientific world is split over Professor Palmer’s bold theories about the red planet. From his remote observatory high in the California mountains, he maps a network of straight lines and mysterious oases across Mars, arguing they are water‑carrying canals that could support life. The rival scholar Margard challenges every deduction, turning the debate into a public spectacle that captures the imagination of readers worldwide.

Amid the heated controversy, Palmer remains unexpectedly down‑to‑earth, his lectures drawing students who leave with vivid mental pictures of distant worlds. When a confident young man named Robert Sprague arrives, seeking a private audience, a subtle tension hints at deeper questions beyond the scientific dispute. Listeners are invited to follow the unfolding dialogue between ambition, belief, and the mysteries that lie on a planet thirty‑five million miles away.