Tetsurou Hoshino is a young street urchin who desperately wants to replace his human body with an android body, which would grant him immortality and the social freedom that androids possess. Normally, this procedure is incredibly expensive, but it has long been rumored that if you board the Galaxy Express headed for the Andromeda Galaxy, you will reach a planet at the end of the line where such bodies are given out for free. After witnessing his mother's murder by an Android Count, he has no reason to remain on his home planet and nothing to hold him back. Now, seeking not only the android body of his dreams but also a way to avenge his loss, he begins to search for a way to board the train alone. Then he meets Maetel, a mysterious woman who offers him a ticket aboard the train if he will be her companion for the journey. Their journey will take them from planet to planet, each strange and new, with each stop along the way serving as an opportunity for Tetsurou to reflect on being human, human actions, and the prospect of immortality. During their travels, Tetsurou and Maetel meet, among others, Emeraldas and Harlock.