The novel is set in a dystopic future world parallel to our own, plagued with the same issues as climate change, political upheaval and war. Theo Byrne is an astrobiologist at the University of Madison in Wisconsin. Alyssa is an environmental activist. Together, they are parents to Robin.
A fatal accident kills Alyssa and the family is distraught. Robin is devastated and emotionally troubled at just nine years old. Both the father and son are finding their own way to cope with the grief of losing such an important part of their family. Struggling with raising his son by himself, Robin faces expulsion from school.
The school recommend he gets medical treatment, but Theo is vehemently against it. He has a very stern prejudice against psychotherapy. As an astrobiologist, he decides to go into the wild with his son on a camping trip. Together, they take a deep dive into the possibilities of life beyond our known spheres of knowledge.
The search for what life is on a larger scale opens their mind for an experience that will help them grow from the grief they currently face. Theo, with the help of Alyssa's acquaintance, implements artificial intelligence to neural imaging in real-time that enable Robin to compartmentalize his emotions.
By replicating the positive qualities of his mother, Robin utilizes that model and recreates in the real world in the form of behavioral training. It helps Robin so much so that he also becomes an activist like his mother.
The issues we face as a society can only be solved scientifically, and what Theo and his research party discover is that the nature of the human consciousness works efficiently when it has a pre-fabricated model to follow. Despite the scientific analogies, this story is more human and profoundly powerful in addressing a number of societal menaces.
