Paul, a gaffe-prone but brilliant space scientist who escapes the drudgery of his life in London to take up a field position at a remote Australian observatory. He meets his new, quirky, work colleagues. Paul attempts to adapt to the unfamiliar surroundings and has a slight mishap with a telescope lens.

After recovering from a near fatal encounter with a black swamp toad, Paul thinks he sees the face of God in space. Rachel warns him to keep his mouth shut, as she's seen too many good scientists ruin their careers because of one brief brush with faith. But the team see the phenomenon for themselves and are convinced. Shortly after reporting it to a reputable journal the truth is revealed.

Planet of love Venus rises, so hormones in the Observatory rise with it. As a result, Paul's lack of a sex life becomes a focal point and he decides that the best way to shut up his co-workers is to pretend he is having an affair with a girl he met at the pub. The lie gets bigger and bigger as to Paul's surprise, it brings him unexpected bonuses. Rachel seems to become attracted to him and he earns more responsibility at the Observatory.

After discovering a new planet, Paul makes the choice of naming it 'Unity' to make it a symbol of the togetherness he believes exists between his colleagues. To find out about the discovery, a film crew arrive to interview Paul but he learns how science is no different from real life - as Rachel is instead seduced into the spotlight because beauty sells.

Paul becomes depressed after solving the mystery of how the Universe will end. Soon after, the local thug challenges him to a duel. In looking for answers, Paul turns to the desert, and Bill ends up teaching him what it means to be a real man.