While trying to alleviate the suffering of thousands in drought-stricken, war-torn Africa, ex-Marine doctor and bio-terror expert Joe Rush receives a plea for help from a member of his old military unit, currently working as a geologist in a chaotic region of Somalia. Joe arrives on the scene to find an entire group showing horrific symptoms of an ancient sickness once thought to be sent as punishment from heaven. But before Joe can get hard evidence identifying the illness, a local warlord takes matters into his own hands--and the proof is gone just as the illness breaks out back in the United States. This outbreak is not a curse from God. It's a well-coordinated, meticulously planned attack with a specific goal that could overturn global stability and kill millions. And the only one who can stop the downfall of civilization is Joe Rush...