The series introduces the character of Sydney Bloom, the daughter of scientists Joseph and Nora Bloom, who develop a highly advanced virtual reality simulator. Sydney is a telephone operator for a company called Tel Cal in San Francisco, California. She spends her free time in front of the computer playing in a VR simulator. As she spends more time with the VR.5 program, she begins to notice subtle changes within the artificial landscape and begins to wonder how much of virtual reality is fake and how much is real. Sydney develops a crush on a co-worker named Scott Cooper. In VR however, Scott manifests himself as a violent killer. When the two go out on a date, Sydney realizes VR.5 is showing her the truth about her new love interest. Scott attacks Sydney and brings her to a secret location where he has murdered other women. She manages to escape however, but as she runs away, a man named Doctor Frank Morgan pulls up in his car. He informs her that from now on, she is going to be putting her talents to work for an organization known as The Committee.
The "Død Kalm" episode of The X-Files was first aired on the same night as the pilot episode of VR.5. VR.5 aired at 8:00 pm and The X-Files aired at 9:00 pm.