In 1989, a breakthrough in "advanced parasitic research" on Cuttyhunk Island gave scientists a jump in human evolution. Initial tests proved promising, as subjects experienced heightened physical and mental strength and awareness. But .. something in the experiment went horribly wrong, and the island mysteriously lost three quarters of its population. Jamie Akerman fled the outbreak -- which killed her mother -- twenty years ago. She now returns with her boyfriend and step-brother to sell the family property. There, they uncover the key to Jamie's disturbing past, and the horrifying secrets long suppressed by the town leader, Larkin. Now, a new strain of parasite has emerged, and threatens the island once again. Jamie struggles to survive and escape the obsessive pursuit of the local islanders who know that she has inherited more than she could ever have imagined ...