In 2104, almost eleven years after the disastrous expedition to the distant moon, LV-223, in Prometheus (2012), the deep-space colonization vessel, USCSS Covenant, is on course for the remote planet, Origae-6, with more than 2,000 colonists in cryogenic hibernation to build a new world. Instead, a rogue transmission entices the crew to a nearby habitable planet which resembles Earth. As a result, the unsuspecting crewmembers of the Covenant will have to cope with biological foes beyond human comprehension. Now, what started as a peaceful exploratory mission, will soon turn into a desperate rescue operation in uncharted space. Is there an escape from the treacherous, mysterious planet?
After the unspecified prologue with Weyland and David, the start date is listed as December 5th, 2104. The rest of the film is set a few weeks after this date, as the characters say it will take that long to get to the planet they end up on. David claims the events of Prometheus happened about 10 years ago.