A science fiction fan using the alias "Joseph Schwartz" uses a time machine called a Chronobox to travel back to 1938. He is on a mission to locate the famously lost manuscript of "Cosmic Corkscrew", the first science fiction story that Isaac Asimov ever wrote. Schwartz has been instructed to find the manuscript, make a copy, and then get right back into the Chronobox, in order to avoid interacting with people from the past and accidentally disrupting the timeline of history. But Schwartz is a big fan of Asimov's writing, and he can't give up the opportunity to meet Asimov himself. Once he successfully travels back to 1938, Schwartz arrives at a candy shop in Brooklyn, where Asimov worked as a teenager. They meet and quickly bond over a common love of science fiction. Schwartz reveals that he is from the future, but Asimov doesn't believe him. Schwartz tells him about the major career breakthrough he will have in the next few days. He tells him that his recently completed story "Cosmic Corkscrew" will disappear, and Asimov will later regret that his fans never got to read it. Asimov eventually believes him and allows Schwartz to scan a copy of the manuscript so that future readers can enjoy it. They continue bonding over science and science fiction, but Schwartz realizes he needs to leave in order to avoid disrupting the timeline. Asimov promises to leave their interaction out of his autobiography, but Schwartz knows that he's told him too much about the future. He secretly wipes Asimov's memory of the event using a "disorienter." When he returns to the Chronobox, Schwartz decides he wants to stay in 1938 in order to see the golden age of science fiction for himself. He puts the copy of "Cosmic Corkscrew" into the Chronobox, sending it back to the future without him.