In the future, Earth is overcrowded. Most plants and animals are extinct. The skies are dark grey and the air is barely breathable because of pollution. The only hope for humanity to survive is in the distant past. Scientists find a way to travel to the past. They decide to send people into prehistoric times. They want to try to rebuild civilization and not repeat the mistakes they have made in their own world. The group in the past calls their new home "Terra Nova". The name means "new land" in Latin. People are sent back in time in groups called "pilgrimages". The story told in the series begins in the year 2149. It continues 85 million years in the past.