A planetary monitoring station in Eastern Europe is suddenly bombarded with rhythmic bursts of light particles from beyond earth - a pattern so regular and complex that they can only have emanated from a highly evolved intelligence. As the scientists begin to decode the messages, they are amazed by the information they reveal: secrets of a technology far in advance of our own, suggesting that a benign civilisation wishes to share its knowledge with humankind. Surely, the scientists argue, the signals should be acknowledged and contact established. But the world's superpowers have other ideas, and suddenly the scientists find themselves at the heart of a global conspiracy - on the run from forces determined to claim the benefits of the alien messages for themselves. And what will be the effect on a world suddenly faced with unimaginable technological breakthrough...?