The story tells of two teams competing for a prize of $10,000,000 for the first start-up group to send up a rocket to near inner space carrying three passengers. The rocket must fly up sufficiently high that on descent the passengers will be weightless for three minutes.

The two teams are made up of rocket science graduates but go about the rocket construction in different ways. One is completely straightforward and is funded by a businessman, also a graduate, who wanted to give something back for the education he had received

The other team is funded by a ruthless gangster who will do anything to win the prize, and uses thugs to try to achieve this.

Who will win the prize? The story follows the two teams and the characters involved.