Jamie and Zoe Surrounded by White Robots

To escape from the volcanic eruption on Dulkis (see "The Dominators"), The Doctor is forced to act quickly to move the TARDIS away from danger from the lava flow. He therefore uses an emergency unit which moves the TARDIS out of normal time and space. They land in a white void and as The Doctor attempts to fix a blown fluid link, Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot are lured outside only to be confronted by white robots. The Doctor manages to get his travelling companions back inside but, as they try to return to reality, the TARDIS explodes. The Doctor spins away through space while Jamie and Zoe are left clinging to the console as it is engulfed in a swirling mist.

They find themselves in what they are soon to discover is The Land of Fiction - a surreal world where imagination has become reality which is populated with characters out of folklore and literature. At first they are separated from each other and pursued by life-sized clockwork toy soldiers in what appears to be a forest. It soon turns out though they are in a forest of huge words.

The Doctor, after facing a series of riddles, comes across some children – who then run off. He then finds Jamie, but when he is confronted with another puzzle, to replicate Jamie’s face, he gets it wrong. Jamie's face is therefore replaced with the visage of another man.

Zoe and Jamie Cling to the TARDIS Console

The Doctor and Jamie are then reunited with Zoe. But when they encounter a person, who they realise is Gulliver, he gives them away to a troop of clockwork toy soldiers. They are taken to the edge of the Forest of Words, where a unicorn charges straight at them. However, when they declare that it does not exist, it turns into a statue.

They then discover a large door. On entering Zoe is initially trapped inside a glass jar but is soon freed by The Doctor. The Doctor is also able to bring Jamie back to normal. It is soon realised that they are at the entrance to a labyrinth. Leaving Jamie behind, The Doctor and Zoe enter the labyrinth where they soon encounter the Minotaur - which they manage to deal with in the same way as the unicorn. Exploring a bit further The Doctor and Zoe find themselves facing a statue of Medusa which starts to come to life. The Doctor tells Zoe not to look into its eyes or it will turn them both to stone. Zoe though finds it hard not too but then, with The Doctor desperately telling her to deny its existence, it becomes just a statue again.

The TARDIS Breaks Up

Jamie, meanwhile, finds himself being pursued by a clockwork soldier. To escape he climbs up a huge rock face, with the help of Rapunzel’s hair, and enters a citadel through a window. However, as soon as he enters the room an alarm is triggered and White Robots appear and start to pursue Jamie.

The Doctor and Zoe finally manage to find the exit to the labyrinth. But as soon as they leave the maze they encounter The Karkus, a cartoon character from Zoe’s home world. The Doctor accidentally manages to dispel The Karkus' ‘anti-molecular ray disintegrator’ by commenting that no such weapon exists. Furious at the loss of his weapon The Karkus attacks The Doctor. Unfortunately for him, because he has never heard of the character before he cannot say for certain that The Karkus is not real, and so has to rely on Zoe to come to his rescue. Zoe is able to beat The Karkus into submission with her martial arts skills.

The Karkus allies himself with The Doctor and Zoe and takes them to the citadel where they are reunited with Jamie, who had managed to escape from the White Robots that had been searching for him. However, shortly after the time travellers are reunited Zoe accidentally sets off the alarm again and the White Robots appear. But instead of trying to escape from them The Doctor instead lets the White Robots capture them. The White Robots then take the time travellers to a main control room.

The Doctor Encounters The Children

There, they meet The Master, a kidnapped Earth writer who underwent the same tests when he first arrived. He explains that he is getting old and needs The Doctor to replace him as the new creative source for the Land of Fiction. While he is talking, Jamie and Zoe attempt to escape through a library but are caught by the White Robots who force them between the pages of a giant book, which starts to close on them. The Doctor, meanwhile, refuses The Master’s offer and escapes by climbing through a skylight onto the roof. There he meets the children again and discovers a typewriter. On learning that Jamie and Zoe are trapped inside the giant book he uses the typewriter to free them. The Doctor has realised that whatever he types then takes place

However, he is not the only one writing and so The Doctor finds himself caught in a trap created by The Master. With The Doctor finally under his control The Master links him up to the Master Brain where the two of them summon up various fictional characters to fight against one another. With The Master distracted Jamie and Zoe succeed in overloading the Master Brain freeing The Doctor. The Doctor then unplugs The Master from the Master Brain. The White Robots try to stop him but instead they destroy the Master Brain. With the Master Brain destroyed a mist suddenly appears and envelops them. Normality is then restored and the TARDIS comes back together in space.