George Orr is haunted by dreams that become reality. In a world where pollution has destroyed the ice caps and plagues rage unchecked, a psychiatrist sees Orr's power as a way for humanity to escape its bleak fate. But as each attempt to direct Orr's dreaming ends in failure, the doctor's obsession with playing God grows stronger.

Set in a time color roles have been reversed. Prejudice keeps the white man in his place. Louis Pinnock (John Travolta) takes on the system by fighting back against a factory owner (Harry Belafonte) after he loses his job.