The Empty Spaces is a love story about chocolate, aliens, data algorithms, failed IPOs, wireless earbuds, homegrown marijuana and the Beatles. Jackie Paper was about to be super-rich. His smartphone app can determine a user's mood, exactly, and share this knowledge with the world. Millions of users and eager investors guarantee his success. Only, an aspiring presidential candidate attempts to steal his creation, realizing it is the perfect vehicle for coded political advertising. What the politician does not know, nor Jackie's backers, is that he has secretly designed the app to send coded messages into outer space. More than being wealthy, Jackie wants to make contact.