Set one year prior to the Zentraedi's arrival on Earth, Macross Zero chronicles the concluding days of the conflict between the U.N. Spacy and anti-U.N. factions. After his aircraft is shot down by the anti-U.N.'s latest fighter, ace pilot Shin Kudo ends up on the remote island of Mayan, where technology is virtually absent. While Shin remains on the island to recover from his injuries, the island's tranquility is shattered by a battle involving the UN's newest fighter, the VF-0.