In book one, a 76-mile (122 km)-long asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, which will kill the vast majority of all living things.

Eighty people – mostly top scientists and their families – have been chosen to make a desperate escape in the Mayflower, a converted space ship which will use solar sails and experimental suspended animation.

Most people on board are put into suspended animation, and the ship barely leaves in time, before the asteroid strikes.

They discover alien races / species in the building, along with deadly parasitic worms.

The Remnants must learn to communicate with and hopefully get along with the various alien races / species, in order to fix Mother.