Dr. Richard Denton, a brilliant entomologist, is shy, introverted, and protective of the secret projects he hides in the basement of the country home he rents. He knows his creation is a major scientific breakthrough but fears the consequences of his discovery all the same. When one of Richard's few friends convinces him to take a weekend off, he does so-and returns to find that some of his hybrid ants have escaped into the world. Worried, he waits to hear and in the meantime finds an unexpected romance. Sightings of the ants become major international news, and as Richard watches, he knows it is just the beginning. A university associate helps develop a poison to combat the ferocious carnivorous insects, whose colonies soon reach into the millions. As the death toll climbs, Richard works to help defeat the demon he has created while attempting to keep his own responsibility for the ants a secret. But all bets are off when he learns that the ants are attacking the woman he loves. In this novel, a scientist's carnivorous hybrid ants break loose and overrun the United States, and only time will tell if he can contain the menace he has unleashed.