Is it better to have a human civilization devoid of art and culture than to have none at all? Three Earth ambassadors must whether to annihilate a space colony that has traded away human consciousness for a hive mind that feels nothing but the need for survival. In the distant future, three humans in possession of nuclear warheads must decide whether to allow a remarkable human variant species without consciousness to dominate the galaxy or destroy them forever.

A group of American explorers and scientists in Africa, including two women, venture into the wild looking for gorillas. When one of the women goes missing, their native guides quit their jobs, and the men lead a slaughter of the gorillas, the other woman wonders if the first woman disappeared into the world of the gorillas by choice, to escape the confines of her life with men.