Orion commander Cliff Allister McLane, galactic war hero and unconventional daredevil in the service of the world government, is transferred with his crew to the space patrol. On top of that, Colonel Villa, head of the Galactic Security Service, provides him with the attractive agent Tamara Jagellovsk as a chaperone. From the very first patrol flight, the two Orion officers get into heated arguments. Tamara drives Cliff to despair with her Alpha Orders. When unknown beings from outer space, known as Frogs, attack Earth and the world government becomes bogged down in wrangling over jurisdiction, the fate of humanity lies in the hands of Cliff and Tamara. A supernova directed by exoterrists on Earth's course is destroyed at the last minute when Orion is abandoned. However, the next wave of attacks by the Frogs comes with the support of terrestrial revolutionaries.