All is not well with the universe - entropy and the cutbacks have taken their toll, and the sun is dirty and late, thanks to being 30,000,000,000,000 miles overdue on its next service. And you just can't seem to get the personnel these days, what with the elder workers retiring rather than face the problems of another round of financial restraint. And none of the committees can agree on anything. Extreme measures seem to be called for.

But there's extreme, and there's recruiting mortals to help run things. The Chief of Staff is uneasy when the dapper Mr Ganger suggests it as a solution. But he's not half as uneasy as Jane, who, after a momentary fall from grace with three cream doughnuts, finds herself sitting next to a daemon offering her a very strange job, which involves tidying up after a certain carelessness with earthquakes and tidal waves, and responding to crises, such as when joyriders decide to try their luck with one of the more important heavenly bodies.