A mysterious spaceship enters Earth's atmosphere, triggering a massive response from the American government. Since the ship has spread radiation over hundreds of miles of rural Montana, officials are quick to bring up the possibility of a terrorist attack, specifically the detonation of a dirty bomb. Debris is found in Canada, where an investigation of the crash discovers a live human being in a Soviet space suit. The man is in an unstable condition and his initial blood work shows signs of severe cancer. A note handwritten in Russian found at the crash site says that the man is the child of cosmonauts living at a base on Mars.