When McCoy refers Kirk for evaluation, the results show him to be in a mentally unstable state and the authorities assume he is delusional like many other people who have become obsessed with the book.

The second half of the novel takes place during Kirk's first days in command of the Enterprise when he, Spock and other members of his crew including Gary Mitchell and Elizabeth Dehner, are accidentally transported back to the year 2045 and participate in the true first contact events.

The book occasionally foreshadows and refers to the events of the original series pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before".

[citation needed] The basic concept of this book—in which Vulcans accidentally land on Earth years before the official "First Contact"—is echoed in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek".

While Takei read the majority of the book, Nimoy occasionally interjected in-character as Spock at certain points during the plot.