A writer's fictional play about a grieving father. Asteroid City: a fictional American desert town, circa 1955. Junior Stargazers and Space Cadets from across the country assemble for the annual Asteroid Day celebration -- but the scholarly competition is spectacularly upended by world-changing events.

Starting her own all-girls mathlete team, Talia, who loves math puzzles and code-breaking, is determined to lead her team to victory while trying to break the social code of preteen life.