When Ellen Ripley finally returns to Earth, she learns that the planet LV-426—now called Acheron—has been colonized. But LV-426 is where Ripley and crew of the Nostromo found the original Xenomorph—the killing machine known as the Alien. The colony known as Hadley's Hope is where a group of colonists—protected by the Colonial Marines—seek to terraform the inhospitable planet, and to uncover Acheron's unknown resources. Two of the residents are Anne and Russell Jorden, wildcatters who came with an infant son, Tim, seeking a fortune that eluded them on Earth. On Acheron, Anne gives birth to the colony's first newborn. Rebecca Jordan, also known as Newt. The wildcatters discover a vast, decaying ship, once piloted by members of a strange, unknown race. The horseshoe-shaped vessel is of particular interest to Weyland-Yutani, and may be the answer to their dreams. But what Anne and Russ find aboard the ship proves to be the stuff, not of dreams, but of nightmares.