It is the future on Venus, and Carlton Davits has been hired as a "baitman." There is easy transportation between the planets of the solar system, and Venus is a livable planet. In the oceans of Venus there lives a 300 foot long sea monster that is referred to as "Ikky." It has never been caught, so a businesswoman who named Jean Luharich is commanding an expedition to attempt to capture the creature. Luharich is very wealthy and she owns a cosmetics empire, and she and Carlton were romantically involved in the past. Carlton similarly commanded an expedition five years earlier to try to capture Ikky, but he was unsuccessful and got injured and lost a lot of money. On this trip, Carlton is a baitman, which means that he must tie an electronic lure to the end of a cable, which is a dangerous job. Five years ago, Carlton could not kill Ikky when the creature looked into his eyes. When Ikky comes up on the ship's sensors this time, Carlton must activate the lure, and he is almost killed by the creature. Once he is back safely on the ship, he guides Jean and helps her successfully capture Ikky.