Ponter Boddet, a Neanderthal scientist, ends up in our world after accidentally breaking the barrier between parallel universes. People mistake him for one of his own kind, but later they realize he is also a scientist. He finds himself isolated, yet receives support from a doctor and a physicist—especially from geneticist Mary Wogan.
Meanwhile, his colleague, Adekor Hald, faces chaos in the laboratory: the body disappears and his fellow kind begin to suspect him. He becomes the center of a dangerous investigation into a murder. He must prove his innocence by figuring out what happened to Ponter.
The encounter between humans and Neanderthals causes various problems, but it also opens opportunities for cooperation and growth on different levels—from practical to spiritual.