Mark Watney is stranded on Mars after his crew departs the planet, thinking he's dead. He plans his survival as he rations food and builds a green house with his knowledge and expertise as a botanist. Meanwhile, back on Earth an imaging satellite shows NASA he is alive. They hatch a plan to get him home that backfires. They inform his crew, who are on a course to return to Earth, that he is still alive. The crew devises a plan to turn around and retrieve him. The stakes are high as the world watches the crew's mission to make contact and attempt a rescue of Mark.