In 2009, a meteor shower above Earth claims the life of American astronaut Jeff Hale [Brad Johnson]. He awakens inside a jade-green bubble beneath the surface of a vast sea-like expanse, surrounded by other such bubbles. A cloaked figure appears, pierces Hale’s bubble with a staff, and presses it to his forehead, flooding his mind with visions of what is to come. Dazed and in pain, Hale crawls naked onto a beach littered with metal canisters that contain unisex clothing. From the water, dozens of people from different lands and historical eras emerge, each taking a set of clothes from the crates. They all seem to understand one another’s language, except for a lone Neanderthal who cannot speak.
Hale soon learns that the “known world” is the bank of a colossal river called Riverworld, where anyone who has ever lived on Earth—regardless of time or place—can begin life anew in their prime. The cast of reborn travelers begins to assemble: the cloaked figures flit in and out, offering food and shelter in a climate that is surprisingly mild and hospitable. Hale forms bonds with several of his fellow castaways, who come from vastly different eras: Alice Lidell Hargreaves [Emily Lloyd], Mali [Karen Holness], a former slave from the pre–Civil War era, and Lev Ruach, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. Hale and Alice gradually fall in love, while Mali and Lev also feel a strong attraction, creating a web of relationships that cross the boundaries of history. The group is reminded that they are not alone in this place when the Neanderthal among them is slain by a man who reveals himself as Lucius Domitus Ahenobarbus, a citizen of Ancient Rome, after a clash over leadership.
The situation grows tenser as Valdemar [Kevin Smith], a hooded figure who rules a formidable slaveholding faction, intrudes with his own planned conquests. Hale and his companions soon encounter two additional prisoners: Monat and a young girl named Gwenafra, the latter the only human reborn as a child. Monat, a figure with advanced knowledge, does not reveal his full origin, while Gwenafra’s presence hints at deeper mysteries within Riverworld. During the night, Hale is secretly freed by the hooded stranger he saw earlier and vanishes from Valdemar’s grasp with his companions. They seek safety with a rising community around a riverboat project pursued by Samuel Clemens, known in this world as Sam [Cameron Daddo], who has built a riverboat christened the Go For Broke with Monat’s help to explore the winding river.
Nero, who calls himself Nero [Jonathan Cake], conspires to seize the river and extend his dominion downstream. A traitor within Sam’s camp helps Nero invade the fugitives, forcing Sam and Monat to reveal how to operate the riverboat. Hale is imprisoned and left to drown in the waters while Nero tries to seduce Alice. Gwenafra frees Hale, and together they rally to overpower Nero and his men, reclaiming the Go For Broke. In a climactic confrontation, Hale defeats Nero in hand-to-hand combat, ending his immediate threat to the river convoy. With their release, the group presses onward to explore Riverworld in earnest, while Sam remains at the helm and Monat’s technological contributions propel their journeys forward. The tale closes with Nero appearing to be resurrected in a new body somewhere else beneath the river, a hint that the struggle for power in this reborn world may not be over.
