Robert Gray fills the role of the hero for the novel. By the time we meet Robert, he is a veteran of the CIA with combat training as a sniper. Though still strong, he is beginning to get along in years and is dreading the day that he will be assigned a desk job. He doesn't get the chance to worry about that too much, however, because by the end of the first chapter, Robert has just been exposed to a thermonuclear blast at ground zero while trying to stop a terrorist organization from using it to destroy the Jewish West Bank settlement. Strangely, the blast does not kill Robert; rather, it sends him careening on a voyage through time over which he has no control. While on this journey, Robert meets Gwendolyn, a beautiful time traveler who seems bound and determined to either kill him or sleep with him. He begins to suspect that there might not be much difference between the two. However, she is more than just a time traveler, having powers that Robert could barely begin to understand, so he does his best to keep her at arm's length and not get killed in the process.

     All of this tells you more about his role in the story, though. There is more to Robert Gray the man. He grew up under the influence of spy movies of the kind starring James Bond. As such, he trained himself in marksmanship and martial arts, believing these would be the traits he would most need to be a spy some day. When he does join the CIA, it is during the Vietnam Conflict era, and his markmanship skills make him a shoe-in for sniper. After serving a tour of duty, he is acclimated to the CIAs peace time operations by serving odd jobs in Russia and Southeast Asia. After these he is given assignments in the Middle East so that he can make use of his language skills. It is on one of these missions that he runs afoul of a nuclear warhead and is sent hurtling through time.

     When Robert first meets Gwendolyn, he is tempted, but maintains enough coolness to keep her at bay long enough to learn that she was not all that she claimed to be. The main reason for this comes from a bitter experience he had in his college years. During high school, Robert only dated one girl, and so became attached to her. However, she saw his CIA fantasy as juvenile and grew distant from him until she finally left him for someone else. Hurt by this, Robert had a rebound relationship with a girl named Elizabeth, who was very easy to get in bed. He rapidly found out, though, that she had only slept with him to get even with a boyfriend who had cheated on her. Now quite distraught, Robert was led to Christianity by a friend and, after already having been through enough emotional pain, Robert found no difficulty in following God's advice on sex.

     Then along comes Gwendolyn. She is the first woman in a long time who made Robert even think of having sex outside of marriage. Though beautiful, she is also very hostile, but this soon fades into a kinder, gentler attitude, which makes her all the more difficult to refuse. By the end of the novel, Robert finds himself questioning his commitment, so great is his desire to spend the rest of his seemingly broken life with Gwendolyn.