A new strain of avian influenza makes its debut in a small village in Vietnam. Like a ricocheting bullet, the virus affects the lives people worldwide until it is stopped by a team of epidemiologists. Myriam is a British PR executive on holiday with her husband when he becomes the first person infected in Hong Kong. Her life is completely changed by the experience, in ways she never predicted. Brian is an American scientist who invents a new antiviral medication, but fakes test data so that it can be released early. Jie is an epidemiologist at the Chinese CDC in Beijing, who will solve the puzzle of the new virus. As the unknown virus quickly spreads its way across the globe, entire societies are affected and changed by the outbreak, leaving the reader with the ultimate question: What would be important to you, what would you do, if a pandemic actually occurred?