About the title
During the Ares 3 mission to Mars, the crew is forced to make an emergency evacuation from the planet due to an approaching sandstorm. Engineer and biologist Mark Watney is injured when his spacesuit is damaged in the storm. Believing him dead, the mission crew evacuates the planet, leaving Mark behind alone. Waking up, Watney discovers that communication with Earth is down, but the habitation module is fully functional. The protagonist sets out to find a way to survive on the available food, vitamins, water and air for another four years until the next mission, Ares 4, arrives.