Peter Hyams' sequel to Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking "2001: A Space Odyssey" opens nine years later as an American team led by space agent Heywood Floyd sets out for Jupiter to find out what happened on the 'Discovery' space ship's disastrous voyage. In order to accomplish their mission, the Americans join forces with a group of Soviet astronauts, even though on earth, the governments of the two super-powers are readying themselves for all-out nuclear war. The two crews try to overcome their differences as they seek answers to the central questions raised in "2001": What is the meaning of the black monolith? Why did HAL 9000 mutiny and will it do so again if resurrected?