The novel, set in Chicago, Wuhan, and Sydney, investigates the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, and weaves a tapestry of intrigue with the threads of many factual events happening around the globe. It follows the exploits of a Chinese virologist, studying at an American university where he meets an American lawyer, who follows him back to Wuhan in China. He deliberately cultivates a friendship with an Australian virologist, resulting in a fetish-driven relationship pursued lifelong.

The novel explores the intentions of the protagonists who undertake actions for different reasons which are incompatible with each other. This incompatibility requires them to make moral judgments and twisted choices.