Axel Heyst is an American recluse with a dubious past living in the Dutch East Indies port of Surabaya circa 1913. Staying in a German hotel there, Heyst becomes entranced with a member of the hotel's all-female orchestra.

In future, the ozone layer is gone and Earth is a wasteland. Most survivors are on a space station, waiting for a chance to replenish the ozone, somehow. A dangerous man tries to take over the station, but its commander fights back.