Ellie Arroway is passionate about the universe. With a small team of researchers, she listens to the sky. One day, they get a message.

Orphan since the age of 9, Eleanor, known as Ellie, has always nurtured this passion for astronomy which she ended up making her profession. Renowned scientist, she now scans the depths of the universe, in search of a hypothetical extraterrestrial life, on behalf of the fortunate David Drumlin. Persuaded to work at full loss, he fires her when she thinks she is reaching the goal. Ellie gets financial support from eccentric billionaire SR Hadden and an adviser to the President of the United States, Palmer Joss, and can thus continue to listen from heaven. Finally, after many months, it picks up an artificial signal from Vega ..