As the colony ship, the Arno, closed in on its destination, life for the inhabitants suddenly became dangerous and the mission to reach the alien artifact compromised. A lone boy could save the operation, but at what cost?

Six years ago, deep in space aboard the Arno, young Oliver spends his days in school, with his little brother and his family, and—as the imaginary Space Boy—battling Wargles. When he’s given a family heirloom, a compass, he and his father, Wyatt, are led to the discovery that the ship may be in grave danger. Hundreds of years into the mission to reach the alien artifact, Wyatt is determined to investigate his suspicions. But when his probing leads nowhere, he is rebuked, demoted, and ironically thrust into the source of the danger . . . Disaster aboard the craft leaves only Oliver to face a choice that will drive the course of the rest of his life, all while he must learn to cope with his new reality. Can he continue the voyage to reach the artifact?

In the present, Oliver’s new earthbound friend, Amy, was kidnapped during the South Pines homecoming dance by agents of the organization that is running his mission, the First Contact Project. In the aftermath, high schoolers are left reeling from the disappearance of Amy. As Zeph, Cassie, and David struggle to make sense of the tragedy, Amy begins to adjust to her new life at FCP headquarters. She finds unexpected allies as she tries to get a handle on her situation, uncover more about the shadowy organization, and what its goals are for Oliver and herself.

A teenage girl who belongs to a different time, a teenage boy on a lone mission in space, an alien artifact, a mysterious murder, and a love that crosses light years comprise the core of this touching sci-fi opera.

Collects Stephen McCranie’s Space Boy volumes 10–12.