"Tom! Someone has stolen your invention!" Bud Barclay tells his pal Tom Swift. And when an engineer in France publically demonstrates a remarkable machine that changes the properties of matter, it seems Bud is right. The authorities suspect that another stolen invention, the stealth drone known as the Eyeballer, is involved. But the device has been designed to be unstoppable! Meanwhile Bud is asked to pilot a months-long manned probe to the planet...