Confronted with destroying her research partner’s samples, a struggling marine scientist dives into memories of their last expedition together and sees the relationship in a new light.

Sea of Memory begins beneath the open ocean. Two SCUBA divers glide through the water, silently in sync with each other's subtle movements. A blue glow catches their attention as a bioluminescent comb jelly – Eurhamphea vexillegera – floats past. One diver carefully captures the glowing jelly in a small glass jar.

Wally, a humorous graduate student with an intense fascination with bioluminescence, sits surrounded by thousands of glass jars, arguing passive-aggressively with her supervisor. She was responsible for discarding her former research partner Theo's field samples to make room for new work, a task she has been putting off for weeks. This weekend is her last chance to finish the job, a simple task that weighs on her conscience.

Sorting through Theo's samples, Wally becomes engulfed in her memories of the research expedition where she and Theo studied Eurhamphea vexillegera. We catch fleeting, impressionistic glimpses of their field research—SCUBA diving to observe bioluminescent communication between comb jellies. Their shared passion for the work spills over into moments of intimate understanding and unexpressed romantic tension. When Theo tries to extend their friendship beyond their research, Wally remains fixated on her work and unknowingly lets the moment slip away. Frustrated by Wally's seeming obliviousness to their deeper connection, Theo leaves the lab at the end of the field season. 

The crash of a shattering glass jar jolts us back to the laboratory. Wally stares down at the discolored corpse of a preserved comb jelly. Waves of regret wash over her as she finally recognizes the depth of what she shared with Theo.