Because the Jovian environment is extreme (gravity, pressure, temperature, hydrogen/ammonia atmosphere, liquid methane)—and thus humans cannot descend to the surface—a prototype synthetic life-form is created and remote-controlled by technologically enhanced telepathy (psionics).

A vital component shorts out, and "Joe" reverts to being a human, Ed Anglesey, wearing a special headset on a space station orbiting Jupiter.

He is allowed to stay on the station only because of his ability to establish a telepathic connection with and thereby control Joe, a creature designed to survive the hostile conditions on the Jovian surface.

A set of autonomous female Jovians, similar to Joe but lacking a human controller such as Anglesey, has been launched from the satellite and will soon land on Jupiter.

A comic book adaptation of Call Me Joe appeared in issue 4 of Starstream, 1976 (script by George Kashdan, art by Adolfo Buylla).

[3] The premise of a paraplegic man whose mind remotely controls an alien body also appears in James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar, similar enough for some critics to have called for Anderson to receive credit.