Reporter Tim O'Hara, while covering a flight of the Air Force X-15, finds a spaceship that contains a genuine martian. The martian is a professor who specializes in the planet Earth and now has to repair his spaceship before he can go home.

Tim talks Martin into temporarily giving him a Martian power. Martin decides to give him the power of levitation for a 24 hour period. When he thinks the power practically useless beyond performing mere parlor tricks, Tim asks for another, to him, more useful power: mind-reading. Martin grants him his wish, to be activated the next day and to last until midnight. Tim also uses this power for parlor tricks, which gets him into trouble. But he also wants to use it for an interview he has that afternoon with Councilman Jack Gramby. Tim wants to write a story about the Councilman's true political intentions. Tim is unable to read his mind because the Councilman is uncommitted in his political intentions, even to himself. So Tim writes a story on what he calls the mental ping-pong of the Councilman. The Councilman telephones Mr. Burns, Mr. Burns thinking that it is to sue the paper for libel. Distraught about probably losing his job, Tim goes into hiding for the rest of the day. However when Mr. Burns finds Tim just before midnight, he tells Tim that Gramby actually wanted to congratulate the paper. Reading the story made Gramby realize that he as a politician really did need to take a stand. Mr. Burns wants Tim to do such an exposé with all politicians at City Hall. Unfortunately Tim's mind-reading powers are just about to run out.

When Martin almost gets a parking ticket, Tim thinks it might be a good idea if Martin legitimizes his Earthly driving by getting a driver's license. Down at the Department of Motor Vehicles, finger-printless Martin has to do some fancy work when he is about to be finger printed. He steals the prints of another man at the DMV. Unfortunately for Martin, that print matches the only unidentified print at a major jewel robbery the previous year. In a routine cross check, the police find the print in Martin's file. And Tim covered the jewel robbery for the paper, something the police find probably more than just a coincidence. Martin and Tim find out that the police are watching them and the reason, and so Martin thinks it a good idea to flush out the jewel thief: he reads that there is a party where Mrs. Summer Winthrop will be displaying the galaxy diamond necklace around her neck, a lure too irresistible for the thief. At the party, the guests are populated predominantly by police - both in uniform and under cover - and the thief, Brian Henley, and his female accomplice, who Martin recognizes from the DMV office. Henley manages to slip the necklace off Mrs. Winthrop, slip it to his accomplice, who in turn slips it into the crown of the cap of Captain Farrow, the lead police investigator. Henley plans to steal the necklace back after the place has been unsecured, and he is no longer a suspect (he was the only person close the Mrs. Winthrop when the necklace went missing). Martin, seeing where the necklace was stashed, plans to plant it back on Henley. No matter what Henley does to get rid of the necklace Martin plants in his pocket, he is no match for Martin's levitation finger. Henley is quickly apprehended, and Martin and Tim cleared.

Martin wants to help Tim with the household expenses, and without a money earning activity, decides to sell art he's currently painting to relive boredom. Martin can paint in the style of any famous artist. Mr. Green of the Green Gallery notices Martin's first piece is just like a Van Gogh, and eagerly takes and sells it. As such, Mr. Green commissions Martin to paint some more and they sell as quickly as Martin gets them to the gallery. Mr. Green wants to have a showing of Martin's work. When Tim mentions that this might not be a good idea as it may raise questions about Martin himself, Martin offers Tim up as the true artist of the paintings. At the show, Mr. Bentley, the art expert brought in the evaluate the show, is skeptical that Tim painted all the paintings, since they are all in different styles. Mr. Green suggests that Tim provide a real life demonstration of his painting process. Martin assures Tim that with his help, he can indeed paint. However, when Tim's demonstration is supposed to start, Martin has an allergic reaction which is affecting his Tim-assisting painting finger. Martin has to find out what he's allergic to and get rid of the item. Tim is nervously on his own until Martin finds the allergy inducing source. Martin discovers the source is a corsage worn by Mrs. Bentley. Martin manages to get rid of the corsage, and Tim, with Martin's help, proceeds with his painting demonstration to great fanfare. Mr. Bentley deems Tim a major art talent. However Martin announces that Tim has given up on emulating the masters, and will strike out as an artist on his own merit and own style. As such, Tim is a failure. Tim's art career is over, much to his relief.

Martin convinces Tim to use his connections as a reporter to get Martin a tryout as the astronaut for a Mars destined rocket, privately financed by Omar M. Keck. Despite a slew of younger stereotypical astronaut types vying for the job, Martin's obvious advantages as a Martian get him the job. Before Martin is ready to leave, he allows Tim to prepare a story of his uncle "The Martian" for publication after Martin is on his way. On his way to the air force base with Martin, Tim leaves the tape of the story on Mr. Burns' desk - based on his usual schedule, Mr. Burns should arrive at the office after Martin and the rocket are safely in space. However the launch of the rocket is delayed, leaving Tim and Martin to rush back to the office to retrieve the tape. They rush back to base to watch the launch happen without Martin in the rocket. At least the launch was picture perfect!

Tim and Mr. Burns' nephew, Freddie Carson, are in the running for promotion to journeyman reporter at the newspaper. After finding out that Mr. Burns is a gourmet, Martin decides that a way to swing the tide in Tim's favor is to cook Mr. Burns a special meal, one which includes some special Martian condiments. The Martian ingredients however react with the Earth ingredients to cause Mr. Burns to move in slow motion. The effect of the antidote Martin has on hand has the opposite effect of speeding up Mr. Burns' movements. Meanwhile, Freddie arrives on the scene to take Mr. Burns to the airport to meet a newspaper bigwig. Tim and Martin hide Mr. Burns in his catatonic state in the bedroom while Martin works on figuring out the correct antidote to cure Mr. Burns. Freddie, unaware that his uncle is there, shoots himself in the foot in the quest for what he feels is the sure promotion for himself with some disparaging remarks about a certain uncle.

Tim gets mad at Martin for "disappearing and spying" on him while he has a date at the apartment. To make up for this, Martin covers for Tim when he goes missing from the office and Mr. Burns calls the apartment looking for him. Martin goes on the story in his place and phones back to Mr. Burns with an exclusive using Tim's voice. Unfortunately, Mr. Burns sees Tim in the office when he is also on the talking to him on the phone; Tim confesses that it is Martin on the phone covering for him. Also unfortunately, the exclusive is regarding an old friend of Mr. Burns', Ambassodor Lloyd Thomas, who decides to sue the paper for invasion of privacy because of the story. Martin finds out that the suit is in part due to some old animosity between Mr. Burns and Ambassador Thomas, and thus Martin decides to try and mend some old wounds.