Marat Bukov is one of the most brilliant molecular geneticists the world has ever seen. A Soviet Cold War era genius, he is tormented by the desire to someday turn his knowledge to peaceful purposes. When a horrific lab accident took the lives of his wife and daughter at their home in the frozen Novosibirsky District of Russia, he vowed to dedicate the rest of his life to leaving. Five countries, several years, and a spectacular defection later, Bukov landed in paradise doing exactly what he wanted, peaceful genetic research in sunny Miami. He was at peace, finally given the chance to work with reptiles in a warm place. Working at a breakneck pace, the desire for secrecy from prying eyes drove him deep into the swamps to a secret lab known to very few. It was here that his experiments with transgenic species were given new meaning and life. Here, in the dark and ancient stands of twisted oaks, towering cypress, and brooding moss, a lone survivor of an experiment gone terribly wrong, took flight but eventually returned to his creator in a shocking end.