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Dr. Ellie Arroway works for the SETI program at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. She is inspired by her late father, who encouraged her pursuit of science. The team listens for radio emissions from space in the hope of detecting signs of intelligent life.

Four years later, funding for SETI is precarious. S. R. Hadden, a secretive billionaire industrialist, provides financial support to keep Arroway's project going at the Very Large Array in New Mexico. This rescue allows continued work on detecting distant signals.

As the project nears termination, Drumlin, the President's science advisor, implements plans to shut down the SETI program at the VLA. The decision is preceded by heightened security concerns and political maneuvering. The team continues its work under the looming threat of closures.

Arroway's team detects a signal that contains a sequence of prime numbers originating from the star Vega. The mathematical complexity suggests an intelligent source and triggers global attention. The discovery marks a pivotal breakthrough in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Within the Vega signal, a hidden video appears: Adolf Hitler delivering opening remarks at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The transmission demonstrates the signal's depth and raises questions about timing and intent. The world grapples with the implications of such a discovery.

The project is put under security as the encoded data grows to over 63,000 pages. Hadden provides the means to decode it, and the schematics point toward a machine that could transport a single person. International interest surges as the potential is recognized.

Nations fund the construction of the machine, culminating at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The project transitions from theory to engineering with widespread governmental backing. Arroway and her team become central figures in a worldwide effort.

An international panel screens applicants to travel in the machine. Arroway is a leading candidate, but her atheism and philosophical views complicate the decision, especially in light of Palmer Joss's presence. Drumlin is ultimately chosen as the traveler.

During the initial tests, a religious terrorist detonates a suicide bomb, destroying the machine. The blast kills the bomber, Drumlin, and several others. The disaster halts the project and sparks political backlash and debate.

Hadden, now aboard the Mir space station and dying of cancer, reveals that a secret contract built a second machine in Hokkaido, Japan. Arroway learns that she will be the traveler in this alternative route. The revelation introduces a hidden path that may bypass the original plan.

Equipped with recording devices, Arroway enters a pod and is dropped into the machine. She seems to travel through wormholes, witnessing alien structures and cosmic phenomena. Her journey hints at a broader cosmos beyond Earth.

Arroway finds herself on a beach on an alien world that resembles a childhood Pensacola scene. An alien, taking the form of her deceased father, explains humanity's radio emissions were detected and judged worthy of a first step into the cosmos. The encounter is deeply moving and transformative.

Back on Earth, mission control reports that the pod fell through the machine into a safety net and that the journey produced no measurable results. Arroway insists she was gone for about 18 hours, but her recording devices show only static. The discrepancy fuels skepticism and debate.

A Congressional Committee headed by Kitz questions Arroway's testimony and speculates that the signal and voyage may be a government hoax. Arroway asks the committee to accept her experience on faith, arguing its impact on humanity cannot be proven scientifically. The inquiry highlights the divide between science and belief.

Arroway reunites with Palmer Joss, who expresses belief in her account. Kitz and White House officials discuss confidential information and the implications for policy. Despite lingering questions, Arroway's testimony helps secure ongoing support for the SETI program.