in a future post-apocalyptic earth in the year 2293, the human population is divided into the immortal "eternals" and mortal "brutals." the brutals live in a wasteland, growing food for the eternals, who live apart in "the vortex," leading a luxurious but aimless existence on the grounds of a country estate. the connection between the two groups is through brutal exterminators, who kill and terrorize other "brutals" at the orders of a huge flying stone head called zardoz, which supplies them with weapons in exchange for the food they collect. zed (sean connery), a brutal exterminator, hides aboard zardoz during one trip, temporarily "killing" its eternal operator-creator arthur frayn (niall buggy).