Astronaut Edgar Mitchell experienced a profound sense of "universal connectedness" as he returned to Earth from having walked on the moon. Since then, he has devoted his life to understanding the meaning of that experience, investigating its basis both in science and in spirituality.

Spurred by the woman he loves, young journalist Edward Malone eagerly joins forces with irascible Professor Challenger on an expedition to South America. Their mission is to verify Professor Challenger's claim of the existence of a Lost World: a mysterious Jurassic-age plateau untouched by human civilization, which holds the promise of treasure and of terror.