This novel tells the story of the dull life of unemployed academic Dr. Jones and how it changes forever when he sees a young man naked on a building top, threatening to jump to his death. Persuaded to descend, the stranger is befriended by Jones. The stranger, named Melog, explains that he has been exiled from Laxaria, a country colonized by Sacria, which has banned the Laxarian language and destroyed its culture. He has come to Wales in search of a lost Laxarian manuscript, the Imalic, the only surviving copy of his country's legends. Drawing on themes related to cats, noncommunication, and political oppression, this tender story of friendship is a satire of the purpose and intent that dominate people's lives.