Capria is an artist who moves from medium to medium, always trying to find ways to express the big emotions she feels. When she can’t cope with the indignities of the world around her, she looks to the stars for answers. When that doesn’t work, she usually turns to some sort of alcoholic substance. Capria loves hard and has found happiness with her wife, Jeannette. But as Jeanette departs on her longest mission yet, Capria begins to question her own sense of purpose and connection and to imagine—for the first time—living as boldly as her artistic visions.

Some people prefer not to be defined by their career, but Jeannette cannot think of anything that would make her happier. She’s an astronaut and has always wanted to be one for as long as anyone can remember. This is no easy occupation, but Jeannette is ambitious, focused, and straightforward. And because of this, she’s enjoyed a celebrated career, despite the challenges of being a queer woman in a male-dominated industry. Jeannette enjoys a happy marriage with Capria. But as Jeanette struggles to maintain relevance in her profession, their relationship begins to fracture. It is only when Jeanette reaches the farthest distance she’s ever been from Capria that she finally realizes how close she feels.

Miles loves science more than most of us love anything. He’s good at it too. Fresh out of college, Miles interns at a prestigious lab in Chicago, studying the influx of cosmic dust in our atmosphere that causes the Dimming effect. Finding a way to eradicate this problem is personal for Miles. The Dimming took the life of his mother and now it threatens to affect the person he loves the most, his younger sibling Daphne. After losing his mother at a young age, Miles was forced to grow up earlier than most kids. He’s the sole guardian of Daphne and spends all of his hard-earned money making sure their future is secured. Despite his tough luck, Miles is an optimist, always trying to make things better and solve problems for the people he loves. When Miles gets called on an unexpected mission, he must learn to listen and accept that the universe has its own designs.

Daphne is one of those people who experiences the effects of the Dimming at a higher magnitude than most. For Daphne, this means battling the depressive side effects of a world that gets darker and darker every day. To cope, Daphne escapes to the world of literature and lives through the fictitious lives of others. When Miles leaves Earth for his mission, Daphne launches their own mission: an exploration of the real world around them that—for the first time—allows them to actually envision a future.

The Sailor has tried to be a good husband and a good father, he’s tried to work a steady job, but the lure of adventure always pulls him back to the open waters. He feels that no one understands the life he has led or the things he’s seen on his travels. Because of this, he feels destined to a solitary life. He decides to set out on his own, though nothing could have prepared him for the awe-inspiring phenomenon he would witness, nor the strange places he would visit.. Now the Sailor must carry home his new understanding of the world’s possibilities. He uses song to communicate, although his voice isn’t necessarily beautiful. The Sailor doesn’t consider himself a family man but finds himself playing the father figure to our characters nonetheless.