Thomas Jerome Newton is a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to get water for his dying planet. He starts working in a high-tech company to get the billions of dollars needed to build the ship that should return him home, and there he meets Mary Lou, a young woman who falls in love with him.

In this unusual and disturbing film, Bowie creates a cerebral, enigmatic, fragile character, one uncomfortable in the Earth's climate and in his own skin. This visionary science fiction film from 1976, is based on the novel by Walter Tevis.