In the next century, a reconfiguring ship (think "Transformer" with a pilot) called Macross carries fifty thousand refugees within its hold as it returns to Earth pursued by giant humanoid warriors. A young pilot in the military named Hikaru rescues his idol, the beautiful singer Lynn Minmay, from the giants as they break through the ship's hull during a concert-during which the giants are shocked to see females on a male vessel-and they are trapped for days in an aft hold of the ship. After their rescue, Hikaru and Minmay continue on good terms until a joyride in a fighter trainer gets Hikaru, his squadron leader, Minmay's brother, Minmay herself and the tough female operations controller captured by the giants, who grill them on how males and females can survive together without fighting. The giants' female counterparts arrive to wreak havoc on their male foes, and in the ensuing confusion Minmay and her brother are detained while the others make an escape that costs squadron leader Roy Focker his life and strands Hikaru and commander Misa Hayase on a now-totally-lifeless Earth, which leads to revelations on all three sides of the conflict regarding their past and future as well as the origins of mankind and the power of love and song, while Hikaru tangles with his feelings for both Misa and Minmay and all builds toward a final battle between the Macross and both giant fleets...