The story is set in 2071, a time where "astral gates" make interstellar travel possible. Humanity, decimated by a lunar explosion resulting from a gate accident, spread out across the solar system, as did crime, which gave rise to the use of bounty hunters. Reeves would play Spike Spiegel who, along with Jet Black, a fellow bounty hunter and former cop, are the two pilots of the spaceship Bebop.