As man expands beyond explored space, the need to find a way to make inhospitable planets habitable grows greater. One young biologist, Carol Marcus, has a project that she believes can reshape planets. A young committed scientist, she dares to dream of a Federation where there is never any hunger and every world is a paradise. Her dream is shared by James Kirk, a young Starfleet officer and her lover. One of Carol's more enthusiastic team members is botanist Leila Kalomi. Leila finds Carol's passion contagious, and sparks the interest of the Enterprise's science officer, Spock, who convinces her to join Project: Inception.