The story begins with strange lights and sounds, including blaring trumpet music, reported in the skies all over the world. The events are capped by the mysterious appearance of black flags with gold suns atop tall historic landmarks such as the&nbsp;Statue of Liberty&nbsp;in New York, the&nbsp;Great Pyramid of Giza&nbsp;in Egypt, and the&nbsp;Eiffel Tower&nbsp;in Paris. These events are all the work of the mysterious Robur (the&nbsp;specific epithet&nbsp;for the English oak (<i>Quercus robur</i>) and figuratively taken to mean &quot;strength&quot;), a brilliant inventor who intrudes on a meeting of a flight-enthusiasts&#39; club called the Weldon Institute in&nbsp;Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.