When an earth exploration vessel explodes, the captain takes an escape pod with a handful of his crew. The pod goes off course and crashes on a desolate, uncharted planet. After a cataclysmic clash with locals, the captain is the only survivor. He encounters an ancient alien society who has forgotten their history and relies on strict laws to protect marginal natural resources. Those laws doom his shipmates but lead him on an ironic path toward integration within their society. Although they regard their world as utopian, he struggles to accept the sterility and stagnation of their everyday life. While he is welcomed into their world, not everyone is happy he is there. Something is not right, and his arrival has begun a change of events that threatens the entire society.