Summary

Chapter 1: "Atlantis"

Dagny opens her eyes and looks into a man's face. The face bears no mark of pain or fear or guilt. The man is John Galt, the pilot of the plane Dagny was following when she crashed. He is also the man that Jeff Allen, the inventor of the static electricity motor, describes as the destroyer. He carries her to his home, which is in a remote mountain valley that is home to all the vanished industrialists. Midas Mulligan owns the valley, and some of the residents include the composer Richard Halley, Judge Narragansett, and Francisco d'Anconia.

The industrialists who live in the valley have all built businesses, and the valley is self-sufficient. Galt's motor provides electricity, as well as a screen that hides the valley from outsiders. An inscription over the door that leads to the motor reads “I...