Dr Walter T Goodwin is sailing back to New York after a botanical expedition to the South Seas when he meets his old friend, Dr David Throckmartin. The heartbroken Throckmartin relates a haunting tale to Goodwin - a tale of a tropical island and a strange stone door through which a hypnotic otherworldly light shines. Throchmartin tells of how the light captured his companions and of his own powerlessness to stop it. When his friend disappears, Goodwin sets out to fins the source of the mysterious moonlight. Little does realise how formidable a foe he has pitted himself against. First published in 1918, "The Moon Pool" is commonly considered to be the inspiration of the ABC series "Lost".