THE LAST THEOREM charts the story of Ranjit Subramanian, a man fascinated by Fermat's Last Theorem--so simple that anyone can understand it, yet not proved for more than three centuries. Ranjit learns about the Indian mathematical genius Ramanujan (1887-1920) and discovers a three-page proof of the Last Theorem: this might even be Fermat's own proof. The discovery of the Theorem wins Ranjit the Fields Medal - and the attention of the NSA cryptography branch. However, Ranjit soon finds himself drawn by physics rather than cryptography, as there have been some spectacular recent advances in fusion technology. And these in turn lead to a plasma drive that can open up the Solar System.