Set in the early 1980s, the novel follows Joan Goodwin—a physics and astronomy professor at Rice University who joins NASA’s Space Shuttle program. While training at Johnson Space Center alongside an eclectic crew, she unexpectedly forms a secret romance with fellow astronaut Vanessa Ford. The story begins mid-mission: Joan serves as CAPCOM in Houston while Vanessa faces a life‑threatening equipment failure in orbit. As crisis unfolds, the narrative shifts back to their training, relationships, and personal journeys—culminating in a suspenseful re-entry sequence that defines both the mission’s survival and the fate of their love. Themes include ambition, sexism, identity, and queer romance, rendered with emotional depth and dramatic tension.