Dr Ellie Arroway is used in a project to make contact with extraterrestrials. Following instructions contained in a signal sent from outer space, a group of scientists sponsored by various governments build a machine that will be used by a human to travel in space. She is sent through the machine and ends up in a surreal environment where she makes contact with an alien who has taken shape of her father. She falls unconscious and when she wakes up it turns out she never left the machine. She describes the experience that she had and as a consequence Arroway and her team are investigated to establish if the whole project was a hoax. In this monologue she is addressing a congressional committee regarding her experience.