Mark Watney is stuck on Mars after he is injured and blown off course during a massive wind storm while trying to get to the evacuation vehicle. His crew believe him to be dead and eventually the world has to come to the same conclusion. Without any means of communication, only us, the readers, know that Mark is still alive. 
 Through incredible ingenuity and creativity, Mark is able to overcome hurdle after hurdle, eventually making contact with Earth and setting into motion the most elaborate and expensive rescue in history. 
 The book is filled with Mark's logs explaining the scientific and mathematic solutions to every problem. I must admit that most of it went over my head, but the character's sense of humor and his humanity saved the book from becoming a science textbook. The author also knew how to pace a scene to create lots of suspense. 
 A good read!