In the midst of an atomic war on Earth in the near future, a number of colonists are sent to establish an outpost on Mars. Strange events begin to affect the Terran life brought as part of the settlement effort, including the seeded grass sprouting purple, the family cow growing a third horn in the middle of its head, and other anomalies with the vegetable garden. Slowly people begin to show signs of transforming into Martians, as their limbs and bodies elongate and their irises turn to a shimmery gold, along with their skin darkening.