Set in the near future, more than a decade after Japan's first attempt at manned space exploration ended in tragedy, Twin Spica follows a new generation of hopeful astronauts as they endure the trials of space academy training. The charming and determined Asumi and a group of teens hoist the dreams of a nation onto their shoulders as they inch towards space travel. In Volume Eight, both Asumi and her classmate Marika Ukita must overcome their haunted histories if they are to walk in space.