Plot

An obsessive astronomer and a curious artist form an unlikely bond which leads them to a profound, scientific discovery.

Dr. Isaac Bruno, an astronomer and astrophysics professor at Ontario University in Toronto, has been obsessed with needing to discover that there is life in the cosmos besides on Earth. This obsession has been a negative Catch-22 in his life: he has needed this focus to fill a void in his personal life following a tragedy that partly led to the dissolution of his marriage to fellow astronomer Dr. Rebecca Jenkins, while the frustration he has felt in such a discovery not yet having been made has resulted in him acting inappropriately in all aspects of his life. That professional behavior has in turn led to he being indefinitely suspended from the university, which also means no access to university resources or equipment hindering that search. It is bad timing as advances in telescope technology, such as TESS, not only provides much data to the community, but any evidence as to the possibility of life would provide access to that technology. Desperate for help without many resources, he advertises for an unpaid assistant, beyond the provision of room and board. The only application he receives is from Clara, an artist not only with no astrophysics background but little education let alone at a post-secondary level, she who he suspects is more interested in the room and board in being seemingly homeless. Beyond her dog Eeva, her prized possessions are a collection of rocks she carries with her everywhere, obtained most from her world travels, one from and indicative of each continent. Isaac ends up hiring her on her plea of hard work and learning fast. Regardless of what Isaac may or may not find with Clara's help, she, who has a keen sense of observation being an artist, may provide him with something more valuable for his life in a holistic sense.—Huggo

About 48 years after man landed on the moon, Dr. Isaac Bruno, an astronomy professor who lives in area code 416, is one of many attempting to discover the next planet that supports life, and the new Tess telescope which is being launched will help them greatly. The next year, the James Webb telescope was scheduled to launch, providing the opportunity for further study of any life on any new planets discovered.

However, Isaac gets in trouble for a couple of things. In a class that has 250 students (though obviously they are not all there), he makes some strange remarks, such as explaining that facts are real and feelings are meaningless, and their chances at succeeding in a relationship can be determined using an equation. Isaac has also broken the rules on telescope usage. Therefore, his superior informs him he will no longer be teaching or doing research using university facilities.

Isaac tries to do research using his own computer but he is unable to access what he needs. He advertises for an assistant who will be given room and board but no pay. Clara (pronounced like tomorrow) shows up outside his apartment building with her dog Eeva. She wants the job. Asked what her qualifications are, she has none. She says, however, that she is a hard worker and learns fast. Isaac is not convinced but she pleads to be allowed to let her dog have some water.

While Clara and Eeva are inside, Isaac finally agrees to let Clara be his assistant. The audience has seen her before working on a beautiful painting, based on a photo of a large colorful ring in outer space, on a wall in the building where Isaac teaches. And Isaac saw Eeva tied up outside.

Clara asks if Isaac has ever been married and he will only say that his wife is gone.

Clara notices Isaac's extensive collection of vinyl records and asks to play one. She likes Bob Dylan too. Eventually, she finds and buys another Dylan record Isaac doesn't have.

Clara also has traveled extensively. She has a collection of small rocks, one from each continent except North America. The one from Antarctica is actually a meteorite given to her by an Icelandic man who inspired her to travel.

Isaac explains what Clara has to do, and she picks up her duties quickly. However, Isaac still needs the equipment he can only access from the campus. And since he doesn't have permission, after he and Clara sneak in the building, Isaac has to make a phone call to the facility in Chile which has the telescope whose data he needs to use. Isaac claims to be Charlie, a co-worker, but that still isn't enough. However, Clara talks to the person in Spanish and is very friendly, something Isaac is not skilled at doing. She gets the job done. It turns out she speaks at least five languages. They make an important discovery. In no time, Isaac and Clara have all the data they need to show there is a planet 20 light-years away that can support life. And a security guard shows up, so they have to leave.

Charlie isn't pleased Isaac pretended to be him, but he and Isaac are still friends. And that isn't all. Dr. Rickman later goes on TV claiming to have made the discovery with all of Isaac's data.

One night Clara asks for something besides a t-shirt to sleep in. Isaac still has a lot of Rebecca's stuff. So he says Clara can wear something of Rebecca's. Clara finds baby clothes with a tag still attached.

It turns out Rebecca is still alive but left Isaac and went to work at Cal Tech. Needing information that only Rebecca can provide, Isaac visits her, and the visit is civil. Isaac gets the information he needs to continue his research. Meanwhile, Clara has an episode. She has already been shown several times taking a prescription drug, but it is not clear whether her problem is physical or mental. Clara is able to get past her problem and work on her art while listening to music. She is very talented and has sold her work, but it appears before she moved win with Isaac she was homeless. She also rescued Eeva when the dog was a stray.

Charlie's wife has a baby, which brings up unpleasant feelings for Isaac, but he tries to be a good friend. The audience sees but mostly hears what happened to Isaac and Rebecca. Isaac and Clara both congratulate Charlie. It turns out Rebecca is also congratulating him and asking for advice. She has a new relationship, and apparently she is pregnant.

Before they make yet another discovery, Isaac and Clara spend time getting to know each other. The scenes are edited in such a way the audience only gets a few seconds before the two are doing something else. Clara explains her views about life, and the two even have fun.

There is a longer scene where Clara says the design of the universe could not have been an accident, and she tries to convince Isaac that something is responsible. Isaac refuses to believe without evidence.

Clara is "under the weather" and Isaac doesn't seem to understand he should be taking care of her.

At long last, Isaac and Clara find another planet. This one is the size of Jupiter, but something smaller is connected with the planet. Isaac presents his findings to Dr. Rickman, who was about to catch a plane. Dr. Rickman thinks Isaac's idea is silly but Isaac is very convincing as he explains a small satellite such as a moon could not be traveling with a Jupiter-sized planet without intervention by intelligent beings. It is, he believes, a space station.

Clara has an even worse episode and Isaac returns to the apartment to find her either dead or passed out. at the hospital, the doctor explains Clara has an immune disorder and the drugs were just relieving her symptoms. This was going to happen eventually. Isaac spends more time with Clara but eventually she says her last words, something about wanting Isaac to see how wonderful something is.

Two years later, Isaac is absent as the presentation is made of the discovery he helped make. Rebecca has a two-year-old named Paul. Communication has been received from the mysterious satellite. Isaac is there when attempts are made to understand what is being said. A brief message is interpreted. It says, "Isaac Bruno". At the start of the movie, Isaac had demonstrated to his students that any data can be represented as sound, and this may be the solution. The longer message, when converted to sound, is a Bob Dylan song.