The year is 2003, and space colony Libra's development of solar power could solve an acute, worldwide energy crisis. Government opposition to the Libran energy plan sparks a debate about free enterprise and government control.

After Detective Michael Long is shot and left for dead, he is saved by the eccentric billionaire Wilton Knight. He is given a new face by plastic surgery, a new identity as Michael Knight, and the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) – a dream car with super-spy gadgets and nearly invulnerable armor.