The story is set in a future after a singularity event, which caused the bulk of humanity to disappear. The focus of this event was a huge space station which rings the Earth, and which remains uninhabited after the singularity. Humans who remained on Earth have maintained an industrial technological base, and are working to re-enter space. The majority of humans are now genetically engineered to form pods, groups of 2 to 5 individuals with the ability to form an emergent personality from those individuals.
The story follows a young pod named Apollo Papadopulos who is training to become the captain of a new starship which is to be launched soon. Apollo Papadopulos is composed of five teenagers; Strom, Meda, Quant, Manuel and Moira. The story moves between the points of view of each of these individuals, and that of Apollo Papadopulos itself.