Matter with inexplicable properties leads researchers to discover a parallel universe from which they can pump protons for a nearly limitless supply of power, with seemingly no risk. But what if their math is wrong, and the risk is far greater than expected? Communication with the scientists of the parallel universe reveal a world of wildly different scope, populated by beings unlike anything we've ever known. Both sets of researchers struggle against the needs of their respective populations to deliver on an energy source, while avoiding the curse of inconvenient bad news.

There's a lot of insight here into the ways people seek to avoid the truth when it requires sacrifice and hard decisions, and the novel is strongest dealing with this problem. It is weakest in pacing these elements, and the result is a story that only sometimes feels like it's moving, and not always in a satisfying direction. When it works though, it really works.