Black holes are the most enigmatic, mysterious and exotic objects in the universe. They’re also the most powerful, with gravity so strong it can actually capture light. And they’re the most destructive, swallowing dust, gas, planets, even giant stars. Anything that falls into them vanishes forever. But now, astrophysicists are realizing that black holes are essential to understanding how our universe unfolded—maybe to explaining our very existence. In this 2-hour NOVA special, astrophysicist and novelist Janna Levin takes viewers on a journey to the frontiers of black hole science. Along the way, we meet leading astronomers and physicists on the edge of finding new answers to provocative questions about these shadowy monsters: Where do they come from? What’s inside them? What happens if you fall into one? And what can they tell us about the nature of space, time, and gravity?