Jeremy Stone is the lead scientist on the Wildfire Project. He is a brilliant man, though he is as famous for his scandalous private life as he is for his professional accomplishments. Stone has a string of failed marriages, a Noble Prize, and international renown. Almost by accident, he becomes the figurehead of the top-secret Wildfire Project. He is very involved in the design and planning stages of the operation, but it is only when the alien organism arrives on Earth that he truly demonstrates his leadership qualities.

One of Stone’s most striking character traits is his arrogance. The narrator introduces Stone at a party of academics, surrounded by his admirers. Stone attracts people with his intelligence and reputation. He cannot maintain a romantic relationship for very long, but he knows he is too intelligent to ever be rejected by the scientific community. He does not need to consider social rules or expectations because society views him as a genius. That Stone understands this can make him appear arrogant, as though he does not care about the rules that govern society. However, the opposite is true. Stone has witnessed the rules of society firsthand; he understands all too well that he can defy expectations and still be respected.