When a close friend betrays Dr. Barrett Maples' dedication to the Human Genome Project, Barrett, along with Dr. Drake Bell, are forced to shield their discovery of a previously unknown genetic marker unique to each individual on the planet and Dr. Maples' is eventually driven from the field and abandons his work. Twenty years later, Special Agent Trent Foster barges back into Barrett's life asking for his help. Whisked to Washington with the task of developing a cure for the biological weapon the CIA let slip out of their control, Dr. Maples knows failure means worldwide breakdown of government and complete anarchy.