In the year 2149, life on Earth faces the threat of extinction due to overpopulation and pollution. Scientists discover a way to travel back in time to the prehistoric era to change the past and save the future. The Shannon family (Father Jim, his wife Elisabeth, and their children Josh and Maddy) finds themselves in a region called "Terra Nova" after traveling back 150 million years. The story continues with the establishment of the first human colony and their encounters with other humans.