In the year 3000 A.D., mankind has been enslaved by marauding aliens, the Psychlos. A lone group of rebel humans exists, living in fear for the day of their capture. One of these rebels is Jonnie (Barry Pepper). He is captured and used as slave labor. He is unwilling to accept his fate, and tries to escape. Terl (John Travolta), the Psychlo head of security, notices Jonnie, and decides to use him for his own gain. Terl plans to steal gold from a quarry, which is very close to a uranium deposit – fatal to Psyclos. Terl decides that Jonnie, a human, can mine this gold for him, and not get harmed by the uranium. He starts to teach Jonnie the Psychlo language and expects that everything will run smoothly. Jonnie, however, is just as devious as Terl, and organizes a revolt plans to destroy the dome that protects the Psychlos from the Earth’s atmosphere.