Time Travelers

During a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, a girl becomes the latest victim of the XB virus. The outbreak's sudden danger and mystery set the stakes for the medical team. Earnshaw's pursuit of a cure is sparked by her illness.

The federal government assigns Jeff Adams to work with Earnshaw, despite his lack of medical training. Adams's outsider status clashes with Earnshaw's expertise, forcing them to collaborate. Their uneasy partnership becomes the engine of the time-travel mission.

Adams recalls Wood's Fever, a 19th-century virus described by Dr. Joshua P. Henderson. Henderson's notes were reportedly destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire, leaving only a gold pocket watch as evidence. The pair resolves to travel back in time to uncover Henderson's cure.

With support from Dr. Amos Cummings and Dr. Helen Sanders, they prepare for time travel, arming themselves with period gear, a small microscope, and a portable centrifuge. They step through a vault-like door into a sky-lit room as the device activates. The briefing warns of the dangers of time travel before they depart.

They arrive in 1871 Chicago, a day and a half later than planned, with only three days to find Henderson's cure. Disguised as doctors from Washington, they blend into the local medical scene while pursuing Henderson and his work. The misalignment immediately tightens the race against the clock.

Posing as Washington physicians, Earnshaw and Adams locate Henderson at his hospital and begin asking about his survival rates. Henderson confesses he does not know why his patients survive, and the treatment consists of palliative drugs washed down with elderberry wine. The pair starts testing on Henderson’s patients to probe the mystery.

During a blood sample attempt, Adams fears he has killed a patient, only to learn the man would have died regardless. The tests yield puzzling results as survivors appear with no clear cure. The mystery of XB deepens as they continue their investigations.

Earnshaw falls in love with Henderson's niece Jane, adding personal stakes to the mission. At the same time, Earnshaw contracts the XB virus while assisting Henderson's patients. The personal and professional lines blur as time runs short.

The Great Fire breaks out, sending Chicago into chaos and hindering the search for a cure. The team struggles to advance as buildings burn and panic spreads. The disaster also threatens to erase any chance of escaping with the cure.

An assistant interrupts with a telegram from Washington, revealing that Adams and Earnshaw were not sent by the government. The revelation sabotages their cover story and jeopardizes the mission. The team must decide how to proceed under new scrutiny.

Earnshaw realizes a substance in Henderson's homemade elderberry wine is the cure. The patients who refused wine die, while others survive, confirming the wine's role. They race to secure the last bottle before time runs out.

Despite knowing their fates, Henderson and Jane stay to help a trapped patient and perish in an explosion. Earnshaw and Adams escape with the wine and return to the departure point just in time. The mission succeeds in bringing the cure back to the present.

Back in the present, Henderson's wine saves Earnshaw and the girl stricken during Mardi Gras in 1976. The mission's success validates their actions and confirms that history can be influenced by brave choices. Adams and Earnshaw reflect on the journey and its costs.

Following the mission, Adams and Earnshaw visit Henderson and Jane's graves in Chicago and place a letter of thanks from the President on Henderson's grave. Earnshaw remarks that loving Jane meant loving history itself. The moment seals their bond with history and purpose.