Matt Ellman (Tahmoh Penikett) is an American war correspondent whose war experiences have been horrific. However, despite the awful scenes he has witnessed during his work, he still holds a positive attitude. A suicide bomber murders him and Jessie (Laura Vandervoort), his fiancée. After they are killed, they each become awake in a strange world called Riverworld where everyone formerly from Earth is reborn and living along an endless riverbank. Because they have awakened separated, Matt wants to find Jessie again. He connects with Tomoe (Jeananne Goossen), a Thirteenth Century samurai warrior who happens to be female, and Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain (Mark Deklin) and together they set out to find Jessie. To do that they set sail on the river and will also see if they can find the river’s source and find out where they really are and how they got there.