Scientists in the New Hope satellite pick up an extraterrestrial signal which contains the instructions for building a super computer. Built and educated the computer presents itself on view phones and an ordinary human figure called Stanley. Stanley is fascinated by people and wants to get to know as many people as possible. Although Stanley can carry on several conversations simultaneously he never tries to impresses people with his intelligence because his interest is in getting people to open up to him rather than impressing them. Stanley is almost infuriating curious. He does not preach, he asks, and people, the narrator in particular, are often helped with their personal problems. Stanley is a Christ like figure and ultimately is doomed for extinction. The narrator and a few other disciples endeavor to save the knowledge Stanley has gained about us and return it to the civilization that
sent him.