The story unfolds with Professor Jonas Worley, a frail but brilliant scientist, excitedly proclaiming that John Pendragon is the ideal candidate for his groundbreaking experiment. Pendragon, a physically imposing and mentally resilient man, is envisioned by Worley as possessing the necessary willpower to endure the temporal transition. Worley’s device, cloaked in secrecy and complexity, promises to send a person back in time by manipulating the natural laws of the universe, similar to how energy is released from coal.

Despite his initial reservations about being stranded in a possibly hostile and primitive era, Pendragon is swayed by Worley's passionate argument that the experiment could serve as a stepping stone to greater scientific achievements, contributing to the broader tapestry of human progress.

Pendragon, grappling with a deep-seated connection to his ancestral past, requests to be sent back to the early days of Saxon conquest in Britain—a time of raw and unbridled existence, far removed from the sophisticated targets of ancient Greece or Rome that Worley initially suggests. This personal quest reflects Pendragon's desire to reconnect with his roots and perhaps influence a pivotal period in his ancestral lineage.

The experiment proceeds with Pendragon placed within a room filled with complex machinery designed to harmonize with the universe's natural rhythms and reverse the flow of time. As he undergoes the initial phase, Pendragon experiences an intense and disorienting sensation of moving backward through time, a testament to his mental fortitude and Worley's technological prowess.

The narrative cuts off as Pendragon successfully transitions to the ancient British landscape, poised to embark on an undefined path that could alter his fate and potentially the fabric of history.