Caleb Jenkins lives a simple life in 1897 Aurora, Texas. That is until he encounters a cigar-shaped silver metal object in the sky on his way to school and meets Atti. "He's not from around here," Caleb tells his mother when she asks about his new friend. What he doesn't tell her, is that Atti comes from a point in space beyond Orion's Belt (although he's been living on Mars) and flies one of those "airships" many of Caleb's neighbors have been seeing lately.