In rural Michigan, a famed athlete undergoes a routine operation. Six weeks later he is dead, victim of a bizarre form of cancer. In Los Angeles, a radio announcer dies of the same cause. Coincidence? Dr. Greg Dostoyov, the athlete's surgeon, and biologist Kate Adams do not think so. Their quest for answers begins in a remote Scottish laboratory. Greg stumbles upon a photograph of stem cells resembling those that caused the athlete's death. The clue launches Greg and Kate into a vortex of danger, imposed by those who would repress the discovery. The ordeal ends in a California hospital, where the mystery unfolds in a surprising and explosive climax.