A Porsche careens out of control in a crowded parking lot. A brand-new SUV smashes through a dealership's plate-glass window. A Mercedes races wildly down a pier before diving off the end onto the deck of a yacht. Then two more wrecks. Witnesses report the vehicles had "a mind of their own" before each accident. Five in a row can't be a coincidence.

Computer guru Emily Doyle has become the single-minded focus of a hacker determined to capture her attention. She recognizes the technology that is being used to gain control of the vehicles—and in some way, she is connected to each of the victims. Ben Colter is the investigator called in by the automakers to find the link. As the casualties mount, Emily and Ben must unravel the puzzle of the seemingly random attacks, as a twisted mind moves from virtual reality to international terrorism.