When the Space Shuttle disintegrates on re-entry, it spreads a virus that it had acquired on its voyage. Humans seem to become emotionless automatons. For Dr. Carol Bennell, a clinical psychiatrist, she begins to hear of this metamorphosis from her patients who tell her that a loved one is no longer who they once were. She and her friend Dr. Ben Driscoll begin to investigate and she realizes that her ex-husband, Tucker Kaufman, has been infected. Unfortunately, her son Oliver is with him for a weekend visit. She also learns that her son may be the key to ending the epidemic.—garykmcd