중국의 문화혁명을 배경으로, 한 군사비밀 프로젝트가 외계인과의 접촉을 위해 우주로 신호를 보낸다. 붕괴 직전의 외계 문명은 그 신호를 포착하여 지구를 침략할 계획이다. 한편, 지구에서는 다른 진영이 형성되는데, 그들은 우월한 사람들을 맞아 그들이 부패한 세계를 장악하도록 돕고, 외계인의 침략에 맞서 싸울 계획을 하고 있다. 

"Wildly imaginative, really interesting." ―President Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy

The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience the Hugo Award-winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.