Ray Bradbury’s short story, Frost & Fire takes place on a planet where all the inhabitants can

only
live for eight days because the solar radiation quickened their pulse, thickened their skin, and
changed their blood.

When a ship, known as a seed, crash landed on the planet ten thousand days ago, it resigned the
people to living in the cliffs, the only place they were safe from the sun where it was so hot it could
burn them, and the nights were so cold they could freeze. The only time of day they can leave is
dawn and sunset for only an hour, where they can gather food, and enjoy the outside. The main
character,

Sim is born in the cave and through racial memory understands what’s happening around him. His
parents are aging rapidly, and so is his older sister, Dark, who is only a day ahead of him. In the eight
days they have to live they develop from baby to senior. They learn love hate jealousy anger rage
marriage and customs very quickly. What makes life even more difficult for them is that through
racial memory they understand that life shouldn’t only last eight days. One day as Sim is outside he
notices a seed and decides that one day he is going to try to reach it. Sim learns about the scientists
and goes to visit them. Sim hears about a war to fight the people who live in the farthest cliffs. If
they win they live an extra three days. Sim agrees and ultimately wins a fight and stays in the cliffs
with Lyte, the girl he has chosen to marry. In the cliffs, their pulses slow as a mineral sult- protection
against solar radiations. Sim eventually reaches the seed with Lyte. As they stay inside the air locked
seed for a few days they realize that they don’t get older. Sim devises a plan of how to get the others
from the cliffs and comes back with his sister and a few others to help fix the ship. Sim takes over as
commander and they get the ship working again. Lyte tells him she had a dream that she lived on a
cold-hot planet, Sim told her to forget the nightmare and the ship rises and takes off into space.