The Tom Swift adventure about his Rocket Ship doesn't tell much of the real tale. In fact it just assumes that things like Fearing Island exist and that his own father, Damon Swift, has nothing better to do than stand aside. The truth is that Damon also built a new, privately-funded rocket as part of an X-Prize competition. His was unique with a whole series of obstacles to overcome and began even before Tom had finished his Flying Lab. This included locating and building out the scrub grass island, Fearing, off the coast of Georgia. This novel is the story of how Fearing came to be leased by the Swifts, how Damon became very good friends with the U.S. Senator who would play a large part in their lives, how he designed and built something looking more like a child's toy than a heavy-lifting rocket, and how he and Tom went into a private and friendly competition to see whose rocket would be launched first. It is a unique look into the father of Tom Swift.