In Journeys End the Martian Civilization faces the threat of a black hole. The threat devastates what they know as the Fourth Orb, Mars. That Civilization had a heroine who salvages what remains and in subsequent years attempts to re-establish colonies in the solar system. She fails and eventually she leads the Martians out beyond the Solar System to find a new home.
Two hundred million years pass and then Earth is faced with the same threat. However, Earth is farther advanced, and they have a hero, Zack, who figures out how to capture the small black hole. Getting to and then capturing the black hole is a technological, political and personal challenge. Earth's hero and his personal body guard, Janet, face and overcome the challenges. They finally overcome all. They create a gigantic space vessel, the Savitar. It's scientists discover the presence of an ancient alien presence in the solar system. The Savitar agrees to investigate this presence.
Janet's comment on seeing the ring on Titan as "it must be a big dog to have ring that big to tie the chain to," causes Zack to recognize the ring as the bottom of a space elevator.
The Savitar sets its own anchor and establishes a space elevator to the surface of Titan. There a message engraved in the ceramic anchor above a sealed ceramic box captures the imagination of the team.
A visit to Mars verifies that the early solar system space travelers were Martians that had suffered a planetary crisis.
After deciphering the message left by the departing Martians, Janet wonders if after two-hundred and twenty million years the surviving Martians still exist.
She composes and sends a message to where the Martians may have gone. After a long waiting period a simple response saying that they had survived and would respond in detail is received. The Confluence of two civilization occurs
Janet becomes closely tied to a Martian, Nadia, who she learns has written the sad poems of to all those who died on Mars. She names her twins, a boy and a girl, Keren, and Nadia after the two persons that were the leaders in saving the Martian population.
The Martian's reply that they are glad that there is a three hundred year distance between them and a very talented but also very aggressive human population.That in their short period of human development have out done the two-hundred twenty million years head start that they had.
Janet envisions a long and close relationship long distance relationship with the long departed Martians.