An unconscious man arrives in an ambulance at a local hospital emergency room. The resident doctor suspects that the man has received a lethal dose of gamma radiation and calls the FBI. The FBI sends a special agent with an extensive background in counter terrorism to the hospital to investigate how the man received the radiation burn.

The chief neurosurgeon assigned to the case has to find a way to bring the dying man back to consciousness long enough for him to tell the agent how he received the burn. The agent needs to know what caused the burn on the man's neck. Is he part of a terrorist group? Is there a nuclear device stored somewhere in the area with a timer counting down for detonation in minutes, hours, days, or could there be some other explanation for the radiation burn.