The colonization ship IMC 5 is tasked with exploring and mapping a desert planet with Earth-like conditions. However, just before the crew can complete their work on the surface and begin their return to their space base, all contact with them is lost. The rescue mission, dispatched to the planet by Captain Chase under the command of Lt. Astrid Young, finds only two survivors. They report that the planet is inhabited by giant sandworms that apparently require "iron" as food. Naturally, the spaceships and the iron-rich human blood are a welcome addition to the diet of these gigantic inhabitants... New