Of All Possible Worlds

"Of All Possible Worlds" by William Tenn is a science fiction story from the 1950s that follows a traveler through time who must prevent disaster. Max Alben is on a mission into the past to stop a guided missile from causing a terrible plague called the Blight. He soon learns about another possible future, one that is very different from his own. Alben struggles with making difficult choices, wondering about his impact on history, caught between his own needs and what's best for everyone. As he makes decisions that are morally questionable, the story asks big questions about destiny and what humans owe to each other.