
The stories are about virtual reality ("The Veldt"), a mysterious planet ("The Long Rain") and the end of the world ("The Last Night of the World"). Set in the backroads of America, the film enacts three of Bradbury's short stories set in the future, with Steiger as a man named Carl telling tales behind some of his tattoos, which he insists are not to be called tattoos, but only ever "skin illustrations", which come to life and tell the illustration's story when stared at directly.

The film is based on three short stories from the 1951 collection The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury: " The Veldt," " The Long Rain," and "The Last Night of the World."

The Illustrated Man is a 1969 American dark science fiction drama film directed by Jack Smight and starring Rod Steiger as a man whose tattoos on his body represent visions of frightening futures.
