A brilliant inventor in early 20th-century New York is profoundly affected by a personal tragedy that leads him to build a time machine. His goal is to go back in time to prevent the incident that has torn his life apart. Despite his initial efforts to change the past, he finds that certain events seem fixed and unchangeable, compelling him toward a different path of discovery. Struggling with his inability to alter this particular tragedy, he pushes the boundaries of his invention further, propelling himself into the far future, seeking answers to his questions about the nature of time and fate.

As he travels thousands of years into the future, he discovers that humanity has evolved into two distinct species: the Eloi, a peaceful and simple people living on the earth's surface, and the Morlocks, aggressive beings dwelling underground who prey on the Eloi. During his time among the Eloi, he befriends a woman and becomes involved in the struggle between the two species. His journey through time becomes not only a quest for personal redemption but also a deeper exploration of how the future of humanity has shaped itself around the very nature of time, survival, and the interconnectivity of events, leading him to confront challenging moral questions and the true impact of his own inventions on the world and his life.