The local police discover housewife Rose Pettygrove dead on her kitchen floor, her artificial heart seemingly having chosen to cease normal, lifesaving function. A worldwide panic ensues as implanted devices, particularly those manufactured by the Amalga Corporation, are malfunctioning at an alarming rate with what appears to be the intent of seeking their own free will. As a frightened populace unites and rebels, toppling infrastructure and institutions in their path, small town criminal investigator Dominic Cain sets his sights on the corrupt corporation at the epicenter of this horrific, unnatural disaster.