The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe features 15 different characters, male and female, young and old. The narrator guiding us through this menagerie of colorful personalities is Trudy, a former ad exec now working full time as a bag lady. Trudy guides the audience and her "outer space chums" in search of several "peak experiences" and the ultimate souvenir of their travels here on Earth. The lives of the characters intertwine in such a masterful way that the story and its message transcends gender and age to reveal a complete and moving commentary on the human experience in all its bizarre and wonderful glory.