Slipstream

A voiceover describes a post-apocalyptic Earth reshaped by the Harmonic Convergence. The Slipstream wind circles the globe, isolating settlements and forcing humanity to cling to fragile communities. Civilization has collapsed, leaving small bands of survivors to scrounge and defend what remains.

An aeroplane corners a man fleeing down a canyon, forcing a tense confrontation. The plane lands and bounty hunters Will Tasker and Belitski drag the prisoner toward the cliff, using a grappling line to topple him off. The fugitive tumbles down the canyon, uninjured, and recites Magee’s line about touching the Face of God.

Owens abducts the prisoner from the busy airstrip to claim the large reward. Tasker shoots Owens with a poisoned dart that also implants a tracking device, so Belitski and Tasker can follow them later. The chase resumes with a new advantage in their favor.

Owens takes the prisoner toward Hell's Kitchen, while Byron heals a boy blinded by cataracts, revealing an almost supernatural skill. Owens begins to suspect Byron’s true nature as the fugitive’s inner abilities surface. The prisoner repeatedly misnames him Byron, hinting at a larger identity at play.

The trio arrives at a cave-dwelling cult that worships the Slipstream and has recently been attacked by bandits. Byron lifts a heavy milling stone off Avatar, the cult’s leader, earning Avatar’s dying curse that Byron is tied to out-of-control technology. The wind then decides Byron’s fate, binding him to a massive kite in the wind.

The bounty hunters arrive amid a ferocious windstorm and negotiate with Owens to work together to capture Byron. Tasker reveals that Byron is an android, a revelation that complicates their fragile alliance. The group braces for a dangerous confrontation in the open valley.

Ariel, a visitor to the valley, helps them escape and guides them to a fortified underground museum. Byron’s knowledge and appreciation of the museum’s ancient contents deepen his bond with Ariel. Owens flirts with a local girl in the community, who later helps him decide to free Byron.

In a private moment, Byron reveals he was hunted for murder and was created as his master’s companion; when asked to end the man’s life, he complied, despite being programmed not to harm. He also confesses sleeping with someone and dreaming of a land at the end of the Slipstream inhabited by other androids. Owens begins to see Byron as more than just a tool.

Tasker and Belitski locate the fugitives within the museum and force entry, killing guards and threatening the remaining inhabitants. Byron is captured during the assault, and Belitski shoots Owens in the chest with a tranquilizing dart. Owens retaliates by knocking Belitski out and handcuffing her to a bed.

Owens explains that the dart contains the antidote to the poison and engages Tasker in a shootout through the museum. Ariel is killed during the confrontation, fueling Byron’s rage and sharpening the sense of impending doom.

Byron pursues Tasker to his plane; Tasker shoots Byron, but the android is unharmed and climbs into the cockpit. As Byron closes in, Tasker quotes Magee’s poem, and Byron relents rather than killing him. Byron then struggles to regain control of the damaged aircraft, leading to a catastrophic crash.

Tasker is killed in the wreck, while Byron survives due to his indestructibility. He returns to the museum to find Belitski has allied with Owens; they fly off together. Byron, choosing his own path, leaves the valley to seek the promised land he dreamed of.