Cal Lewis Junior has a promising career in front of him as a journalist. His online posts are generally viewed by thousands of people, and he's covered many events, both political and entertainment. At 17, Cal is looking forward to moving in with his best friend Debra, and go to college in Brooklyn. He's already attracted some attention from Buzzfeed and other social media companies. But when his father returns home one night and announces that he's applied to be the 20th astronaut on the Orpheus mission to Mars, Cal cannot believe it. His dad is a pilot, but he's never expressed an interest in going to space, at least that Cal can remember. Worse, his dat is actually selected, and the family has three days to move from New York City to Houston.
Cal is crushed. This will undermine his dream and life trajectory. Moving to Texas, Cal soon falls for Leon, the son of another of the astronauts on the Orpheus mission. And Cal discover that instead of being a death knell for this channel, this new opportunity brings more viewers. It helps that the whole experience is being recorded by a reality television company and is immensely popular on television. Soon Cal's takes on life find hundreds of thousands of people, and are even picked up by the mainstream media.
But as Cal gets into a fight with the reality television company, his relationship with Leon becomes more serious. With NASA's Orpheus mission in danger of being defunded, Cal will need to navigate the choppy waters of politics and best social media experts at their own game to avoid losing Leon.
Dealing with social media, depression, and emotional instability, the story incorporates elements of the space flight enthusiasm of the 1960s mixed with a more modern version of the world. Cal is a powerfully motivated character, but he is often unlikable. Leon, however, is more relatable, so readers will cheer when the two of them finally decide they are right for each other.
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