Clara

Following a personal tragedy, a troubled academic astronomer, Isaac Bruno (played by Patrick J. Adams), develops an unhealthy obsession with being the first in his field to make a monumental discovery. NASA has predicted that signs of life will be found elsewhere in our galaxy within a few years using new instruments like the James Webb and TESS space telescopes (both of which are real-life telescopes scheduled for launch by NASA in 2018), and Isaac is now able to use these new advanced tools in his hunt for habitable worlds. With so many stars to look at and so little time before someone else finds signs of extra-terrestrial life before him Isaac’s lack of manpower forces him to take on a research assistant, despite his own reluctance to do so. Clara (played by Troian Bellisario), a worldly young artist with a similar affinity for outer space but who is woefully under-qualified, is the only applicant. Despite her lack of qualifications and their conflicting ideologies, Clara and Isaac work together to discover a nearby solar system with a planet almost identical to our own. As a bond between them develops, their own personal tragedies are revealed, each of which begins to explain why they find meaning in this search for life elsewhere. This connection leads to a scientific and spiritual discovery so profound, it will change everything we know about our own place in the universe.