The heroes of the novel are mostly not named by name. Among the listeners of the Traveler’s story are Psychologist, Very Young Man, Provincial Mayor, Doctor and others. They are present at the return of the Traveler from the future, who appears to his guests not in the best possible way: he is limping, his clothes are dirty, the car is bent. And no wonder - over the past three hours, he lived eight days. And they were full of adventure.

Going on a journey, the Traveler hoped to get into the Golden Age. And indeed, millenniums of the flourishing of mankind flashed before him. But just flashed. The car stopped at the time of decline. From the past there were dilapidated palaces, excellent plants cultivated for centuries, juicy fruits. One misfortune - humanity, as we imagine it today, has completely disappeared. Nothing left of the old world. It is inhabited by lovely "eloes", the underworld - animal-like "morlocks". Eloi is truly lovely. They are beautiful, kind, cheerful. But these heirs of the ruling classes have completely degenerated mentally. They do not know literacy, do not have the slightest idea about the laws of nature, and although they have fun together, they are not able under any circumstances to help each other. The oppressed classes moved underground, where some sophisticated machines operated by them were operating. They have no difficulties with food. They devour the Eloe vegetarians, although out of habit they continue to serve them,

However, all this is not immediately revealed to the Traveler. Its appearance in 802801 was preceded by the journey itself, during which the years merged into millennia, the constellations moved, the sun described a continuous visible circle.

Fragile, nonviable, but in their own way beautiful eloes were the first to appear to the eyes of the Traveler. However, he still had to solve the complex riddle of this obscure society. Where did the countless waterless wells come from? What kind of car noise is this? Why are the Elois so superbly dressed, although not capable of any work? And is it not the key to the latter (and many other circumstances) that our feelings and abilities acquire acuity only on the sharpener of labor? But it has long been broken. And you also need to understand why the Elois are so afraid of the dark and in the visible world there are no cemeteries or crematoria.

In addition, a blow hits the Traveler on the second day. With horror, he discovers that the time machine has disappeared somewhere. Is he really destined to stay in this alien world forever? There is no limit to his despair. And only gradually does he begin to make his way to the truth. After all, he still has to get acquainted with another human breed - morlocks.

This is also not easy.

When the Traveler just landed in a new world for him, he drew attention to the colossal figure of the White Sphinx, standing on a high bronze pedestal. Is his car hidden there? He begins to punch the Sphinx and hears a giggle. He remains in complete ignorance for four more days. Suddenly he sees in the dark a pair of brilliant eyes that clearly do not belong to any of the Aeloes. And then a small white creature, obviously not used to daylight, appeared to him with his head strangely bowed. This is the first morlock he saw. It resembles a humanoid spider. Following him, the Traveler discovers the secret of waterless wells. They are connected into a single ventilation circuit, which constitutes the exits from the underworld. And, of course, it was the Morlocks who hid, and, as it turned out later, they dismantled, examined, lubricated and reassembled his car. Since then, the Traveler only thinks how to return it. He ventures into a dangerous enterprise. The staples along which the morlock hiding from him descended are too thin for the Traveler, but he, at the risk of his life, still grabs them and penetrates the underworld. Long passages open in front of him, where creatures live with inhumanly pale faces without chins, with reddish-gray eyes devoid of eyelids and tables with chopped meat stand. One salvation - the Morlocks are afraid of the light and a lit match scares them away. All the same, you need to run and start the search again; especially since now he knows that he should get into the White Sphinx pedestal.

To do this, you need to acquire a suitable tool. Where to get it? Maybe there is something in the abandoned museum? This is not easy. For so many millennia, exhibits have turned to dust. Finally, it is possible to find some kind of rusted lever, but on the way you have to withstand the battle with the Morlocks. In the dark they become dangerous. In this battle, the Traveler loses the only human being to which he has become attached. At his very appearance, he saved little Wina, who was drowning with the complete indifference of those around him. Now she has disappeared forever, stolen by the Morlocks.

However, a trip to the museum was, in a sense, in vain. When the Traveler, holding his club in his hands, approached the White Sphinx, he found that the bronze doors of the pedestal were open and both halves were pushed into special grooves. In the depths is a time machine, which the Morlocks could not use even because the Traveler prudently unscrewed the levers at the very beginning. Of course, in any case, it was a trap. However, no obstacles could prevent the Traveler from moving in time. He sits down in a saddle, fixes levers and disappears from this world full of dangers.

However, new challenges await him. When the car, for the first time braking, tipped to one side, the saddle moved and the Traveler turned the levers in the wrong direction. Instead of returning home, he rushed into an even more distant future, in which predictions about changes in the solar system, the slow extinction of all forms of life on Earth and the complete disappearance of humanity come true. At some point, the Earth is inhabited only by crab-like monsters and some other huge butterflies. But then they disappear.

It goes without saying that the Traveler’s story is hard to believe. And he decides, capturing the camera, once again "go over" for millennia. But this new attempt ends in disaster. She foreshadows the sound of broken glass. The traveler no longer returns. But the novel ends with a phrase full of enlightenment: "Even at a time when the strength and mind of a person disappear, gratitude and tenderness continue to live in the hearts."