The war waged by the Union of Solarians against the Empire of the Gayuns is slowly but surely lost by the Solarians. The enemy has technical superiority. The reason is a new type of fuel used by the ships of the empire. The fuel is of natural origin, and Union scientists are unable to synthesize it. Having established the approximate location of the production, Union intelligence sends a group of saboteurs to the planet, the composition of which is quite unusual. Two of its four members have paranormal abilities. In a narrow circle of professionals, they are called nontraditional specialists who solve the tasks assigned to them in an unconventional way.