A woman, Hazel, is sending audio messages to her brother, Saul. Hazel is the last astronaut from Earth, and is currently on a mission to the Library — an intergalactic hub of knowledge of the solar systems run by alien beings who call themselves the Archivists. She is on this mission because Earth is suffering from environmental collapse, and she is looking for knowledge that will help save it. She is looking for research by someone named Dr. Ryu. Despite a difficult journey, Hazel arrives at the Library. There, she makes both inspiring and depressing discoveries: the Archivists’ knowledge and technology is amazingly advanced, but even they have already destroyed their own planet. 

Hazel went into this mission as a cynical anthropologist with almost no hope for the future of the human species. She finally finds Dr. Ryu’s research, which allows her to speak with a form of Dr. Ryu through her memory tablet. Dr. Ryu asks why she is on this mission if she has no hope for the future of humans. Hazel tells Dr. Ryu that although she doesn’t have hope for her species, she strongly believes in her brother, who still does have hope. In her last audio recording, Hazel tells Saul that she previously had an abortion, and is extremely sorry about it, because Saul has been trying to have a baby for so long, and hasn’t given up on future prosperity on Earth. She also reveals that she will be sending him Dr. Ryu’s research for him to use, and that she won’t be coming home.