Our story begins with travel agency headquarters' tour planner, Endo, being suddenly transferred to work at Narita International Airport in what he deems a depressing demotion. From his first day, the dorky Endo struggles to make the adjustment to his new, female-dominated environment. His subordinate, Morio, views him with utter contempt while his superior, Koizumi, is pathetically trivial and unreliable. Together with his quirky colleagues, Endo frantically tries to resolve a never-ending barrage of customer relations issues at the airport counter when all he seeks is a ticket back to company headquarters. As time passes, however, Endo begins to gradually share his colleagues' passion for the work, evolving from wanting to just "get people in the air" to "ensuring they depart with smiles on their faces." Endo's transformation to a hard-worker devoted to the customer even sparks new feelings toward him from his severest critic, Morio.

It is the year 2194. The Gamilons, an enemy of undetermined form, begin an invasion of Earth. The nations of Earth pool their forces and fight back, but their armies are defeated and most of humanity wiped out. Five years later, in 2199, the Earth has been polluted by space-to-planet bombs, and those who remain alive have fled underground. Even the former top pilot, Susumu Kodai, has left the military. One day as he is exploring above-ground, a mysterious object falls out of the sky. This is a communications capsule from the planet of Iscandar, 148,000 light years distant. Apparently on Iscandar is equipment that will eliminate the radiation. The Defense Force of Earth equips the Space Battleship Yamato with a previously unknown propulsion system, a ‘wave-motion engine’ based on plans found in the capsule. Kodai rejoins the Force, and resolves to set out aboard the "Yamato." With the fate of the Earth in their hands, the crew blasts off for distant Iscandar. They have one year until radiation drives humanity to extinction. Kodai’s great battle has begun. Carrying humanity’s last hope with it, the Yamato blasts off!

Kozue Ogawa is a housewife and has been married to Hideo for seven years. They don’t have any children but as they live with her parents at their flower shop, everyday is still lively. She is happy with her life and her husband but she wonders if it is enough. From time to time she is gripped by this doubt that she cannot raise with anyone. One rainy day, Kozue meets a young man named Takuma Fukazawa who is a high school student and a dance instructor at the dance studio where she is taking lessons. He seems somehow shrouded in sadness. One day, when it is just the two of them, Takuma curls his hands around Kozue’s body and his dance instruction begins. Their unexpected closeness causes Kozue to hesitate. With her heart pounding, she pushes Takuma’s hands away and runs home. But the throbbing in her chest continues. It can’t be. But what is this feeling?

Motoharu is an elite pilot who has just completed astronaut training at NASA. A past incident has caused him to go out searching for something missing in his life, but he hasn’t been able to find it and thus the void in his heart has only expanded. However, when Akiyama meets Reiko, a director at an investment bank who is looking at investing in an attempt at the first Japanese space shuttle launch, they are both changed forever. Although a mere chance encounter, their meeting seems to have much greater implications and deeper cosmic connections than even they are aware.