What is the main conflict in Timeline by Michael Crichton?

Timeline is a novel by Michael Crichton. In this novel, a doctor is found wandering in the desert with unexplained injuries miles from civilization. A company tries to hide the truth. An archeologist discovers that his sponsors know more about his site than he does. A group of researchers find themselves transported to a time six hundred years before their own. Timeline is an interesting look at time travel and the benefits and dangers it could represent to modern man.

While looking for a remote antiques store, the couple comes across an old man wandering alone in the desert. They take the man to the hospital where questions are raised about the man’s condition and how he got to the desert. The man is identified and the company he worked for informed. However, the company seems intent on hiding the truth as they rush to pick up the body and destroy it.