Meet Ethan Hicks, a young scientist employed as an influenza outbreak investigator at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta.

At the CDC, Ethan uncovers a small influenza outbreak in the Amish country of Indiana that had quickly fizzled out. Although told to leave it alone, he is intrigued by a possible human-to-human transmission of H5N1 influenza there, which if true could be a bellwether for a devastating epidemic

Ethan travels to Indiana, finding not only a human-to-human transmission of H5N1, but that the virus is synthetic and controllable, designed by Isaac Levy, a vengeful, self-educated technician. Built via a vintage DNA synthesizer and weaponized using stolen vials of Moderna Covid vaccine, Isaac seeks to use the virus in retribution for a people on the opposite side of the world that killed his parents, causing world conflict in the process. Can Ethan uncover Isaac’s plan and stop him before it is too late?