This science fiction fantasy is taken from the stories of Ray Bradbury. Carl (Rod Steiger) has a tattooed torso of bizarre illustrations done by his wife Felicia (Claire Bloom). Each one tells a story about the future, and when Will (Robert Drivas) meets The Illustrated Man in a hobo jungle en route to California, Carl warns him not to look too closely at the pictures on his person. One story has Carl, Felicia, Will and another man stranded on a planet plagued by perpetual rainstorms. Another has Will as a marriage counselor who watches in horror while Carl and Felicia's children plan their deaths. The third futuristic saga has Will observing Carl and Felicia on the top of a mountain as they plan to kill their children. After the three stories, Will is plagued by futuristic nightmares of Carl coming to kill him in this depressing and pessimistic film.