With help from a neighbor, Meg Murry (Katie Stuart) and her brother, Charles (David Dorfman), search for their missing father, who disappeared while doing confidential government research. Guided by three celestial beings (Alfre Woodard, Kate Nelligan and Alison Elliott), the children travel to the malevolent planet of Camazotz. There, Charles falls under the sway of a coercive power -- leaving it up to Meg to rescue her family.