The narrator is Ijon Tichy: the hero of the Star Diaries continues his extraterrestrial explorations here. Initially, he conducts studies in Switzerland at the Institute for History Machines, a branch of the Ministry of Extraterrestrial Affairs. There, the history of distant planets is simulated using all available data. The starting point is Tichy's depiction of the planet Entia in the 14th journey: apparently, Tichy has confused a pleasure moon, a cosmic Disneyland, with the planet itself. During the most important journey of his career, Tichy engages in conversations with Russell, Popper, Feyerabend, and Shakespeare, that is, with cybernetic personality copies on tapes.