Have you ever wondered how your life would change if you could go back in time and make just one decision differently? Take a job. Don't take a job. Move to a city. Don't move to a city. Marry someone different. Don't get married at all. What if that decision was seemingly inconsequential; something that clearly could have no impact on yourself or anyone else? The most irrelevant decisions often have the most profound impacts, and this story draws from the author's own personal experience and speculation about that very topic.
The story weaves together themes from both classic and modern science fiction ranging from the Twilight Zone to The Matrix. Although set in the world of the year 2022, The Day The World Retreated is not a work of pure science fiction; it tells the story of five seemingly unrelated people whose lives intertwine in a most unexpected manner to transform the world.