Theodore Harris (Cliff Robertson) first time in space, in 1963, didn't go quite as planned. Alone in his Mercury capsule, he panicked and aborted the mission when a mysterious violet light penetrated the cockpit and began to envelop his body. In the investigation that followed, no evidence could be found to support his story, leaving a blot on Harris NASA record and his life in ruins. Now at age 63, he knows he can never make amends with his estranged wife Madelaine (Pamela Parry), but he feels that he could clear his name if he could just get back to where he saw the light.