Two huge interplanetary ships on an expedition into deep uncharted space receive a SOS emanating from Aura, an unexplored planet. Both ships, the ''Galliott'' and the ''Argos'', attempt to land on the surface of the fog-encased world. While entering the planet's atmosphere, the crew of the ''Argos'' becomes possessed by an unknown force and try to violently kill each other. Only Captain Markary has the will to resist, and is able to force all of the others aboard his ship out of their hypnosis, murderous state. After the ''Argos'' lands on the surface, the crew disembarks and explores the eerie landscape in search of the ''Galliott''. Thick, pulsating mists, lit by ever-shifting eerie colors, saturate the terrain. When they finally arrive at the other ship, they find that the crew members have killed each other. Markary's younger brother, Toby, is among the dead. They proceed to bury as many of the corpses as they can, but several bodies are locked inside the ship's bridge (nautical). Markary departs to get tools for opening the sealed room, but the corpses disappear by the time he returns.