The episode begins with a sea ship in trouble. A telescope smashes which releases a man. At the San Fransisco dock, a man appears out of the mist and heads into a bar, he stands in a puddle if water and it freezes, the bar then freezes, he shouts the name ""Carolyn"" and then collapses.

He has been taken to the local hospital. There, the machines freeze, and the hospital beds also freeze. There is a sort of mini earthquake. Rachel arrives at the hospital to examine him. The Doc shows Rachel a book that he had in him, a 19th Century book in perfect condition. Rachel briefly meets him, but he escapes. He runs out of the hospital and notices a toy boat in a shop window, he begins to have visions of the trouble ship from the start of the ep.

Rachel and Alex, go to the dock/bar where this man collapsed. There is another mini-earthquake, Rachel knows that he is near-by. They meet up with him, and Rachel tells him that she will help him remember his past. They call him John Doe.