The following version of this novel was used in the creation of this study guide: Kaufman, Amie and Jay Kristoff. Illuminae. Ember. 2015. Paperback.

Since the novel is told through a series of documents, this plot summary has been simplified. A full summary of each document and their order will be contained in the individual summary and analysis sections of this study guide.

In a message to BeiTech’s Executive Director, the Illuminae group sends a series of files that start just after BeiTech’s attack on the illegal mining planet of Kerenza IV. Only a few thousand refugees escaped on three ships: two science vessels called the Hypatia and the Copernicus, and a United Terran Authority (UTA) dreadnought called the Alexander. However, the Alexander is badly damaged and all three are being pursued by BeiTech’s dreadnought known as the Lincoln. Two survivors, Kady Grant and Ezra Mason, broke up right before the attack, and ended up on two different ships.

On the journey, the Alexander’s artificial intelligence known as AIDAN suddenly launches nukes at the Copernicus, killing all but a few who had already escaped. The leader, General Torrence, has AIDAN shut down and executes any soldiers that want to tell the truth. Unfortunately, this leads to rumors between the two ships as even the Hypatia’s captain, Ann, is kept in the dark.

Then, it is revealed that BeiTech released a bioweapon during the Kerenza attack that made its way onto the Copernicus. While initially meant to only enact a powerful fear response in victims, it mutates on the Copernicus and spreads rapidly through the vents. Over times, those infected fall into a violent, incurable psychosis and AIDAN, who’s only directive is to protect the fleet, believed that nuking the ship was the only way to contain it. Unfortunately, the survivors bring the Phobos virus onto the Alexander, though it is contained to a single quarantined Bay for now.

Meanwhile, Kady learns that her mother, Helena, was forced to transfer to the Copernicus before the infinite to try and understand the virus. Certain she is dead, Kady works with another computer genius, Zhang, to obtain documents to prove what happened. When Captain Ann confronts Torrence, he demands that Zhang and his colleague be forced onto the Alexander to work on restarting AIDAN, unaware that Kady has been involved in subterfuge as well. However, this leads to Captain Ann’s death when she is shot by a rookie who mistakenly believed she was threatening their Lieutenant. A new captain, Syra, is promoted immediately.

While Kady and Zhang are able to use a computer virus to cripple the Alexander with AIDAN’s help, the AI decides the Alexander’s command will shut it off again, dooming everyone. So, it releases the infected and funnels them toward the bridge, killing Torrence and every other officer except Zhang, who becomes infected and tries to destroy AIDAN himself.

Meanwhile, Kady decides to travel to the Alexander herself, unwilling to abandon Ezra, especially after Syra flushes a group of survivors out of the airlock when she thinks they could have the Phobos virus. When Kady arrives, she finds that Zhang destroying AIDAN’s servers. While he plans to kill her to keep AIDAN from being brought back online, Zhang has a moment of clarity and electrocutes himself before he can hurt Kady. Then, it is revealed that every message from Ezra since the Lincoln’s attack has actually been from AIDAN, and the AI believes Ezra is dead. While devastated, Kady agrees to help AIDAN fight the Lincoln again, but only if it helps guide the remaining survivors to escape pods.

Managing to save around 600 people, Kady remains on the Lincoln and is forced to evade thousands of infected as she reboots some parts of AIDAN. While she cannot restore everything, she is able to get power to the Alexander’s defenses and the engine. This allows AIDAN to put the Alexander in range of the Lincoln. Both ships fire nuclear mistles, but while the Lincoln is instantly destroyed, the Alexander survives the barrage long enough for AIDAN to help Kady escape. He encourages her to save the data it recovered about the attack, the Phobos virus, and all proof that BeiTech was responsible. As AIDAN goes offline, a piece of itself remains in Kady’s datapad and makes it to the Hypatia when it finds her escape pod before she dies from radiation poisoning.

In the present, it is revealed that Kady actually compiled those documents into the same dossier the Executive Director paid Illuminae to acquire, and that Kady herself is leading the group. Instead of erasing it like the Director wants, Kady plans to send it out to the world. Furthermore, Ezra managed to survive and escape to the Hypatia, but wants nothing to do with the Executive Director who is revealed to be his mother. Kady swears that justice will be served for those BeiTech killed in their violent grab for power.