Octavia meets Annie in their high school Aquarium Club. Together, they try to take care of fish that constantly die, often ending up having to flush them down the toilet. Annie is firm that death is meaningless, while Octavia thinks death brings new life.

Throughout high school, they find themselves in each other, falling in love. After high school, they begin research together in a biomolecular engineering and biogerontology program at the same university. A boy flirts with Annie freshman year, to no avail. Annie and Octavia’s relationship becomes increasingly intense throughout college.

At age thirty, Annie and Octavia are both faculty members at the same university completing research together. They are trying to solve the problem of death which first fascinated them back in high school. They soon achieve success, developing a serum that, once injected into the bloodstream, prevents death. While they are often asked about the ethics of their invention, neither consider themselves to be doing anything wrong.

With the money from her success, Octavia purchases a remote home. Upon Octavia’s request, Annie injects Octavia with their serum, which the press names “The Immortality Vaccine.” Over time, Octavia’s body changes but she does not grow old and will not die.

Years later, alone in her home, Octavia ruminates about how to forget Annie for the rest of her unending life. Their vaccine was never officially approved, and shortly after Octavia was injected, it was outlawed. After it was outlawed, Annie refused to take it, convinced what they created is immoral. Overwhelmed with the weight of her creation, Annie committed suicide.

In the present day, Octavia wonders if she’d trade all her success to have Annie back. She isn’t sure.