A narrator writes about their experience on planet Earth. They record that humans are self-conscious, appear weak, and are constantly in pursuit of a happiness they cannot define. The narrator acknowledges that the readers of the report may find humans easy to judge, but the narrator also encourages the reader to consider the possibilities of human life and the meaning of humans in the universe. 

The narrator introduces the details of his disguise on Earth: Professor Andrew Martin, a mathematician who works at Cambridge University. The real Professor Andrew Martin had been on the cusp of discovering the reality of the narrator’s existence, so he was taken by hosts and replaced by the narrator. The mission was to destroy any evidence of life in outer space. The narrator (the new Professor Andrew Martin) expresses a wish to have known the real Andrew Martin more so that he could have understood Earth more. The new Andrew Martin wants to record his story and decides to start with the moment he was hit by a car.

When the creature from outer space first lands on Earth, he finds himself standing alone on a road. He notices the weather and the night.