When the children of American astronauts choose "Herman's Hermits" as the "good luck name" of the next Project Gemini space capsule,<ref name="ppg100919"/><ref name="nytdb"/> NASA scientist Edward Lindquist is sent by United States Department of State official Colby Grant to shadow the band on tour.<ref name="tcmdb"/> His orders are to find out all he can about them to stave off a "public relations nightmare". (Grant fears that putting the band's name on the rocket will make the world think the U.S. is "still a colony of Great Britain".)