In a future where specially-recruited exobiologists live in and study an outer space world, an aging man remains on Earth to take care of his wife Julia, who has dementia. One day, he wakes up to find his son Philip—an exobiologist who has transformed into a silver-skinned, red-eyed creature—has returned home. The man is angry at Philip for leaving them and "giving up his humanity" for space exploration. Philip agrees that he had to give up "almost all things" for his job, including his human body and his relationship with his parents, but he claims it is worth it for the incredible discoveries he has come across in space. He describes plants that can talk, philosophize, and solve problems. Julia does not seem to recognize Philip, though she recalls that she once knew someone named Philip. She also thinks that Philip's appearance is due to a Halloween costume. Julia asks Philip to tell her a fairy tale to fall asleep to, so Philip tells her about a prince who left home for the opportunity for scientific discovery. Julia has a moment of mental clarity and recognizes the tale to be Philip's own life story. She tells Philip she made the right choice, and declares that her husband must forgive their son. Then, she falls back into her state of dementia. The dad pulls his son aside for a chat; they rekindle their relationship. Philip asks his father to visit him in outer space sometime. He thinks that he is too old to make the journey, and that he needs to take care of Julia, but it is nice to know his son would welcome him in outer space, anyway.