"Jake knew he was insane, there was no point denying that. The question he needed answered was whether he was also right. If he was right, then he was slightly less mad than everyone else, and had to find out why. If he was wrong... He was willing to risk a lifetime in a nut house if it meant knowing the truth. He was willing to risk death. He could tolerate those, but he couldn't tolerate not knowing if he was living a lie." Downfall is the story of a insane human on Earth, and an intergalactic civilization that isn't as eternal as it seems.