"There is a passion in the human heart which is called aspiration. It flares with the noble flame, and by its light Man has traveled from the caves of darkness to the darkness of outer space. But when this passion becomes lust, when its flame is fanned by greed and private hunger, then aspiration becomes ambition – by which sin the angels fell." Martin Landau stars as a frustrated inventor named Richard whose new laser machine fails to impress his father -- costing him a high-level position at his company. When his ambitious wife Judith (Sally Kellerman) finds out, she vents her frustration by firing a laser gun at the invention. To her surprise, it accidentally intercepts an outer space alien. The shielding device the alien uses to travel between worlds is seen by Richard as the ultimate defense weapon. To Judith, it means her husband's chairmanship of the Bellero Corporation!