It's cold on top of Mount Shasta at night. Amy's shivers, but while she's trying to see a moon of Jupiter, the night sky turns pink, in all directions, everywhere on Earth and forever. NASA discovers it's a message from an ancient, elder race. It's a complete description of the physics of the universe, catalogued and indexed. Amy calls it the Curtain of Heaven, and the name sticks.
The problem is, the Founder's message is everywhere. If there are any inimical sentients out there, they see it too. The race to master the knowledge is now on.
In six generation, the human race changes. Watch Xenoc and Scenic culture clashes, the revolutions caused by the Burgess Generator, Tank learning, the rise of the Universities, the settlement of Ganymede and others.