Astrophysicist Artemis Fevgati invites her friend Taras Psagmenos to join her in the Andes—one of Earth's highest mountain ranges—where a super-telescope is located. There, Artemis guides Taras through the mysterious and vast universe. Together with Taras, we learn how stars are born, how they grow and change appearance, and how—upon reaching the end of their lives—they transform into other wondrous entities with strange names, such as "red giant," "white dwarf," "black hole," "pulsar," and "supernova." (From the book's back cover)