After communication from the Aeolus II abruptly stops while on its return from the first manned mission to Mars, retired Commander Aubrey Nichols is tasked with intercepting the stricken ship to save its crew and the wealth of new data on the red planet stored in it's log before all is lost in an uncontrolled reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
She soon finds her life and all life on earth threatened as the rescue mission turns to disaster as the secrets held within the Aeolus II come to light.