In the opening scene an unidentified but suspicious looking male is furtively placing some kind of device in the cockpit of a shuttle. When he has finished doing so, he contacts someone on his global, reporting that the device is in place and that it will be activated when the shuttle makes its next jump into inter-dimensional space.

Within a few minutes, Liam Kincaid, who is in a cheerful mood, arrives, boards the shuttle and makes flight preparations. A short while later, Augur also arrives, also in a cheerful mood. He has never been up in a shuttle and Liam has agreed to take him for a "spin". As they belt up for the flight, Liam hands Augur a paper sickness bag and says "just in case...."

The shuttle takes off. As it does, the saboteur, who had concealed himself when Liam arrived, contacts someone who turns out to be Jonathan Doors and reports that there is a problem - Liam is not alone and there is a passenger on the shuttle. The saboteur does not tell Doors who Liam's surprise passenger is, but states that they have only five seconds in which to abort the exercise. Doors decides not to abort the exercise, that Liam and his unknown passenger are both expendable.

On the shuttle, Augur is exhilarated by his first flight and is looking forward to the experience of going inter-dimensional. The ID drive is engaged and as they enter ID space, the navigational systems on the shuttle fail. Liam instructs Augur to take over the backup controls. The shuttle shudders violently; Augur is unable to make any sense of the readings.

On the mother ship Da'an and Zo'or are discussing their differences. Zo'or tells Da'an that their differences threaten the survival of the Taelons. Da'an agrees that it is so, but declines to accept Zo'or's offer to work together. He asks Zo'or whether they will be working together on joining with humanity or enslaving it. Zo'or cannot understand Da'an's refusal to work with him, saying that Da'an has always supported him in his strategies for handling other races, and asking what has changed Da'an. Da'an believes that humanity is utterly unique in the universe and that they are the future of the Taelon race. The die is cast. Whatever transpires, Da'an will act in accordance with his own vision of the future. Zo'or is equally determined to to bio engineer humanity and believes that Da'an's opposition to it will spell doom to the Taelons.

Sandoval is a silent witness to the discussion between Zo'or and Da'an. As the conversation ends, he tells them that Major Kincaid took off in Shuttle No. 2 and that contact with it was lost just after it "went inter-dimensional". Da'an is upset, but Zo'or is pleased by the news.

On the shuttle, Augur is attempting to repair the navigational controls and bring the system back online. Liam is able to regain limited control of the shuttle and makes a rough landing after narrowly missing a steep rocky outcropping. The landscape in which the shuttle has landed appears to be unsettled and Liam and Augur secure the shuttle and begin walking. As they travel, Augur tells Liam that his popularity is waning, that the shuttle was sabotaged. Liam cannot understand this and asks Augur who would want to kill him. Augur laughs and names a number of likely candidates, Doors, Park, Zo'or, Sandoval, or any other alien within 15 billion light years who knows what Liam is.....

Augur tries to use his global, but communications appear to be down. He then tries the universal locator, but the readings appear to b scrambled. Liam and Augur are suddenly surrounded by a group of armed and peculiarly costumed soldiers. One woman steps forward, points her weapon at Liam and orders Liam and Augur to identify themselves. Liam says that they are lost. One of the soldiers is convinced that Liam and Augur work for the Taelons and wants to kill them immediately. Augur tells them that he and Liam are part of the Resistance, but his words are choked off by the soldier. Liam nudges the gun aside and asks the woman who, is obviously the leader of the team, where they are. She tells Liam that they are in the northeast quadrant of the Iberian continent. Liam or Augur are not familiar with the name and Liam tells her that they are from the United States, she does not recognize the name. Liam tells the woman that she knows he is telling the truth; she can see it in his eyes. The group decide to take Liam and Augur back to their camp as prisoners.

On the way, Augur asks Liam about his comment that the woman could see the truth in his eyes. Liam explains that she can read body language very accurately and would have known if he was lying. They discuss explanations for the situation in which they have found themselves. Augur thinks they may have travelled in time and are in the future. Liam wonders why nobody knows anything about the United States. Perhaps the group don't know any geography or perhaps they are on another planet. There is a sudden noise and the group halts. A male figure appears out of nowhere who seems to be enhanced by the Taelons; he begins to fire on the group with his skrill. Liam pushes the woman out of the way and the rest of the group return fire. The woman thanks Liam and they move on, but Liam and Augur are no longer prisoners.

In a clearing are several tents, but no permanent structures. Liam and Augur are taken into one of the tents where Augur is curious about the computer systems in use and asks to use it to discover their location. A chart of the heavens shows that they are still on earth and the Iberian continent seems to be in Spain. Liam has assumed they are in the future and asks Augur how far they have travelled. Augur replies that they are in the present.

The woman, Maiya, is telling Jason, the leader of the group, about the attack in the woods. They decide that their location must have been learned by the Taelons as a warrior has been sent out to attack them. The group must make preparations for battle. Liam and Augur enter the tent and are stunned to discover that Jason is an exact duplicate of Ronald Sandoval in their own dimension. Jason thanks Liam for saving the life of his wife (Maiya).

Augur's has given the matter some thought and believes that he and Liam are in a parallel dimension. Liam surmises that something happened differently in the two dimensions which caused each to pursue a slightly different evolutionary path. Jason says that their world was one of peace and prosperity until the Taelons arrived, about three years before. This dimension has trading centres of less than twenty thousand residents, but no cities, so there was no organized resistance to the Taelon invasion. This is a largely pastoral society living in harmony with the earth. Liam is curious about why they have such advanced and sophisticated weapons. Jason tells him that fighting or ritualized combat forms an important part of their society. Augur comments dryly that this place feels just like home. Resistance to the Taelons is faltering; the ranks of those resisting grow fewer every day. Someone named Kayla will be leading the attack which is expected. Kayla was once a member of this social group or tribe until the Taelons lured her to their side with the promise of great power, and she now leads the Taelon assault on humanity. At this point one of the group enters with information from the downed shuttle that Liam is a companion agent. Liam tries to explain that in his world he is an undercover operative, working against the Taelons, but Maiya doesn't believe him and wants to kill both Liam and Augur. Her husband, Jason orders that they be confined until he can deal with them later.

Liam and Augur are thrown into a pit which is sealed with a force field. Liam asks Augur if he can retrace their flight path and determine a path home if they manage to get back to the shuttle. Augur doesn't think so. Jason releases them and tells them they can leave. Because Liam saved the life of his wife, Maiya, he will not be responsible for their deaths.

Liam and Augur return to the shuttle. Their flight recorder is undamaged, but it will be necessary to rebuild the ID drive unit and there are no spare parts for Augur do so. Liam tells Augur that he has hunch that Augur can do it, and Augur retorts that he didn't get that impression from his (Augur's) body language.

The rebel group are preparing for battle and a shuttle appears. Liam decides to help the group while Augur remains at their shuttle to make repairs. Maiya is angry that Liam and Augur have been released from their confinement, but Jason gives Liam a weapon and Maiya obeys her husband when he tells her to accompany Liam and watch his rear. The group is ordered to fire on the shuttle is given, but the weapons are ineffective.

On the mother ship Zo'or is watching the skirmish and is contemptuous about the abilities of the rebel group.

The Taelon shuttle is overhead. A gravity weapon is activated and the rebel group are forced to the ground. When Kayla appears, she is an exact duplicate of Lili Marquette in Liam and Augur's own dimension. The pulse is deactivated and the rebel group struggle slowly to their feet.

Liam and Maiya are able to escape the scene, but Maiya wants to go back for her husband and Liam prevents her from doing so. They watch as the other members of the group are rounded up, and Maiya tells Liam that Kayla always wanted her husband, Jason.

Kayla asks Jason to join with her in her cause, but he refuses to so, and she orders that captured members of the group be transported to the mother ship.

Liam contacts Augur who tells him that he has restored the conventional drive on the shuttle, but has not been able to repair the ID drive. As Liam is speaking to Augur, two companion agents sneak up behind Augur, who is taken prisoner. The agents want to know who Augur is talking to and he makes a flippant rejoinder about talking to his mother. After being punched for his insolence, Augur is transported to the mother ship where he is placed in the same cell as Jason.

Liam and Maiya make their way to the shuttle and neutralize the guards who are watching over it. They decide to use the shuttle to get to the mother ship, using the conventional drive which was fixed by Augur. Maiya asks Liam if Augur can be trusted, and Liam replies that he trusts Augur with his life.

On the mother ship a Taelon enters the cell occupied by Augur and Jason. At first Augur thinks it is Da'an who has entered and addresses him by name. The Taelon, whose name really is Da'an, is astonished that Augur recognizes him. Augur tells him that it would take some time to explain and the Taelon replies that Augur does not have that much time. Augur also tells him that as they have probably already retrieved the data from the shuttle's database, they should already have the answers they are looking for.

Liam and Maiya pilot the shuttle to the mother ship hoping for an element of surprise and gambling that the Taelons will not be expecting them to make such a direct and dramatic entrance, right through the front door, as it were.

Da'an does not understand why Jason and his group continue to battle the Taelons, knowing that death is the only possible outcome of their struggle. Jason tells Da'an that they will never submit to the Taelons.

Liam and Maiya successfully board the mother ship and are searching for their comrades when they are captured and incarcerated.

Maiya is alone in her cell and Kayla, who is her sister, visits her to offer her a deal. If Maiya persuades Jason to join her, she (Kayla), will ensure that everyone else is returned safely to earth. Maiya cannot imagine living without Jason and Kayla tells her that she would not be so cruel as to expect her sister to live without her husband. She tells Maiya that she will be killed. Then she takes Maiya to Jason's cell.

Da'an and Liam converse, and their hands touch. Da'an senses that there is something alien about Liam and Liam tells him that he is part Kimera. Da'an refuses to believe him saying that the Taelons destroyed the Kimera millions of years ago. Liam tries to explain that he is from a parallel dimension, but Da'an does not believe him. Finally Liam shows Da'an his Sha'karava, "the mark of the Kimera". Da'an remarks that the Sha'karava is also the mark of the Jaridians and Liam retorts that if he really were Jaridian, Da'an would already be dead. Liam talks about his bond with Da'an in his own dimension and how his Da'an is championing the cause of humanity before the Synod. Da'an asks Liam how he can explain the discrepancies between the two dimensions. Liam says that it all began when Mael came to earth. Da'an's reaction is stunned - in this dimension Mael never visited earth.

Zo'or and Kayla are making plans to woo Jason over to their side and trying to figure out how to do so. Zo'or thinks that Jason can be won with the promise of power as Kayla was. Kayla thinks that Jason can only be persuaded by her sister. Zo'or tells her that she had better be right.

The ingenious Augur develops an escape plan. As he works on his escape plan, Maiya tries to persuade Jason to join her sister and the Taelons, but Jason refuses, telling Maiya that he would prefer to die rather than to serve the Taelons and live without her.

Meanwhile, Da'an is explaining that in this dimension, Ma'el remained on the Taelon home world and never came to earth. Mael became the greatest and most enlightened of the Taelons and was Da'an's own mentor until he was forced from power. Liam suddenly realizes that it was Ma'el's sojourn on earth which altered the course of evolution in his own dimension. The humans who inhabit this world are the true species, having developed without Taelon intervention of any kind.

Augur is working at dismantling the force field in the cell he now shares with both Maiya and Jason. He asks her what his body language tells her about him and Maiya replies that Augur's appearance and attitude tell the world exactly who he is. Augur is pleased until she tells him that he is hiding from himself. Augur finally succeeds in disabling the force field, and they head for the shuttle bay. Kayla arrives, finds the cells empty and informs Zo'or, who orders that the escapees be shot on sight.

Liam asks Da'an for his assistance in finding and going to the shuttle bay and Da'an provides it, showing him the way.

Augur and company get to the shuttle bay, pursued by Kayla and the guards. Augur makes repairs to the shuttle as the others try to keep the guards at bay. Jason is seriously wounded by a blast from a skrill. Da'an seals off all the entrances to the shuttle bay to prevent other guards from entering, but Maiya's sister Kayla enters, just as the doors are shutting and attacks her sister. Liam, who has just taken out two guards, sees the wounded Jason and goes to his aid Maiya is successful in dealing with Kayla, getting in some good punches of her own and finally knocking Kayla out. She goes to Jason's side immediately. Jason tells Maiya that she must go with Liam, but she refuses to leave him.

Liam is having a farewell discussion with Da'an. He tells Da'an that he must teach the other Taelons that humanity are their equals. Da'an asks if it is possible for one being to change the future. They join hands and Liam conveys to Da'an what he had been told by Da'an in his own world about changing the future, that "the future can be changed, but only if fate will allow it". Da'an promises to do what he can in this dimension.

Preparations are made to depart in the shuttle. Maiya tells Jason that she will always love him and that he will always be with her and he dies in her arms. Da'an tells everyone to follow him, that he will take them to safety. Maiya hesitates and then leaps into the shuttle at the last possible minute. Liam starts to protest, but he is too late. Maiya tells Liam that she must go because it was Jason's wish that she do. Augur plots a course for the shuttle which mirrors its original journey. There is a lot of turbulence and the shuttle is buffeted about. Augur voices his concern that the shuttle cannot take much more of this treatment, but suddenly they are out of ID space and Augur announces that they are "Home sweet home." Maiya, who has never seen a city, is fascinated by the sight below. She asks if what is below them is a city and what its name is. Augur says to her, "Kansas, Toto."