If you believe that human history is linear, then you should also accept that the world is flat. Stanley Brooker is an amateur archaeologist perplexed by the lack of evidence for any form of permanent civilisation ever having been established on the Australian continent prior to the arrival of Captain Cook. It just didn't make sense, and was in contradiction to the development of human society in every other inhabited region. Deciding to delve a bit deeper, accompanied by his long-suffering wife Mel he embarks on an investigative journey disguised as a long-overdue holiday trip into the desert country of South Australia. A series of accidental circumstances and natural disasters brings them face-to-face with the possible future of humanity, presented in the form of an ancient vessel built by humans, currently inhabited by a life form born of Earth ... but not a life form as they understand the term.