The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files.

Morgan and Wong wrote the episode specifically for Kristen Cloke, who had previously been the protagonist of their science fiction series Space: Above and Beyond.

"The Field Where I Died" received mixed to positive reviews from television critics, with many praising the episode's exploration of loss and grief as well as Cloke's acting.

In Apison, Tennessee, authorities receive a tip from someone named Sidney alleging child abuse and weapons possession by a local cult called the Temple of the Seven Stars.

The FBI and ATF stage a raid on the Temple's compound, but are unable to find its leader, Vernon Ephesian (Michael Massee).

Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) experiences déjà vu and walks into a field on the compound, where he finds a trapdoor.

Inside, he and Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) find Ephesian preparing to drink a red liquid with his six wives.

Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) warns the FBI and ATF that Ephesian and his wives will be released in a day unless they can track down Sidney and the Temple's reported weapons cache.

To confirm her events, Mulder has himself hypnotized and recalls a time when he was a Jewish woman with a son, who had the same soul as his sister Samantha; his deceased father, who was Scully, is dead.

Ephesian, realizing that he will not survive another siege, passes out poison to the cult members while his men open fire on the FBI agents.

[1] Episode writers Glen Morgan and James Wong developed "The Field Where I Died" specifically as a showcase for Kristen Cloke—the actress who played the protagonist from their short-lived Fox series Space: Above and Beyond.

[2] To prepare for her role, Cloke researched dissociative identity disorder, and she based the many personality states that she plays on people that she knew.

"[3] When pitching the idea to director Rob Bowman, Morgan and Wong stated they wanted "this episode to feel like the part in Ken Burns' Civil War documentary where they read the Sullivan Ballou letter.

Skinner directly references the Jonestown mass suicide, correctly predicting that if Vernon and his accomplices are not held, they would share a similar fate.

[9] Furthermore, Vitaris praised Cloke's acting; she called her "a truly gifted actor, slipping faultlessly into the skin of all of Melissa's personalities.

[4] Series creator Chris Carter received angry calls after the Heaven's Gate, a UFO religion cult, committed mass suicide less than six months after the episode had aired.