Project Elysium: City of Promise begins with a brilliant young man named Anthony Collins, who graduates with two doctorates in physics and electrical engineering. He is frustrated by academia because the university is not prepared to fund his expensive projects. He believes he has stumbled onto new and exciting technological advances that could turn into the most powerful weapons the world has ever known. The military wants him to come work for them, but he has turned them down several times. Then the CIA, posing as venture capitalists, offers him a job with the intent to get his technology from him and dispose of the naive Dr. Collins. When he finds out he's been tricked, he runs away and takes his technology with him, building an underground lab, and that is the beginning of the city of Elysium.

Over the years, other scientists have joined him to help create a beautiful underground city. The government, still looking for Anthony, sends a beautiful reporter to try to flush him out. Anthony introduces her to his wonderful city, and a relationship develops. Just as these two are getting to know each other, the city experiences a terrible earthquake. Their sensors and computer systems tell them that it was caused by an underground nuclear explosion. They investigate and find that rogue members of the DOD and CIA planted a nuclear device near the last known location of Dr. Collins to try to either kill him or force him to surface. The residents of Elysium retaliate against this attack by destroying the NSA building in Washington, where the decision was made to use the bomb. Anthony then calls the US president on his personal cell phone, tells him what has happened, and provides the President with a file of proof of the rogue members' involvement. Anthony tells him that if this rogue group is not charged with their crimes and the incident made public, the US will lose the White House, the Pentagon, and the congressional house all in one day. The president promises to get to the bottom of this issue, and he and Anthony become friends.

The beautiful young reporter named Maria agrees to marry Anthony. They have a wonderful wedding and go on a fantastic honeymoon. When they return, Elysium's city manager asks Maria if she will be the city's first anchor for the nightly news. She accepts and begins providing the nightly news for all Elysians to help create a connection between the underground city and surface events around the world.