Kent is some sort of astronaut-worker who is doing repairs on a floating habitat in the upper reaches of Venus' atmosphere when he leans on a corroded railing and begins to fall to the ground. He's so high up his fall will take almost an hour, and yet he knows that he probably will die, either by the pressure or the impact or the heat.

He has enough time to radio in to his coworker, Marina, and his father, the commander. He gets his father to send a drone his way, which is loaded up with nitrogen. Kent can cut into the drone and redirect its supply of nitrogen into his oxygen supply -- this will solve the pressure problem, a technique used by divers -- and stay on the inside of the drone, which is heat resistant and should brace him for impact.

As he falls, he talks to his father, who was not very good to him as a son. His father was a famous astronaut, a hero, and Kent felt like he never lived up to him. His father apologizes when he realizes his son might very well die. The commander organizes for a craft to go down to rescue Kent, but Kent tells him it is too late. He is coughing up mucus and blood, evidence of lung damage which he will not survive. He reaches the surface of Venus, the first person to do so. He is going to die, but he is happy to hear his father's apology, first.