Far across the universe, in a cluster of planets known as "Bear Space", the brave explorer Staynard Othelos learned of a distant world where sentient life evolved from apes instead of bears. He left his home planet of Othelosia to make contact with this strange new world, gathering a crew of bears who could no longer stay on their world of origin:

Detty of Dakio, an adventurous and bombastic woman from a society that had grown lazy in their pursuit of civility. Tun-Tun of Starworld, a free spirit moving at their own pace on an artificial planet where everything ran like clockwork. And FuzEE WuzEE, an artistic spirit trapped on the robotics research station Star Pole 9.

Together, the four now journey to Earth to make contact with the ape-men known as "humans" using the universal language – music. They are URSA MAJOR.