New York, 1939. A young journalist learns that world-famous scientists are disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Teaming up with an experienced pilot and adventurer, she tries to disrupt the plans of a madman bent on taking over the world...
London. George Woodhouse, a British intelligence agent, learns that a traitor has appeared in the office, whose actions may result in the secret Severus project falling into the wrong hands. The list of suspects includes five people, including Catherine, George's wife and colleague. Deciding to identify the enemy, Woodhouse begins his game, not forgetting to keep an eye on his wife.
The reclusive Adolf Schwarz, who bears a striking resemblance to his famous namesake, engages in wild sexual games with an international group of prostitutes. One day Adolf is found dead in his bathtub, the victim of a hungry piranha. That same morning, the beautiful Margot, while jogging in the mountains, is captured and raped by a certain villain. Defending herself, she breaks the rapist's neck. This is witnessed by local patrolman Homer, who offers Margo silence in exchange for her lush body. Margo willingly accepts.
A young photographer Tan accidentally runs over a girl and flees the scene of the accident with his friend Jen. After this accident, a strange shadow appears on the pictures he develops. At first Tan decides it's just a marriage, but the shadow appears again and again and Tan's friends start dying.
A military satellite goes out of orbit after being hit by a micrometeorite and falls near the small town of Piedmont, Arizona. A curious resident opens the satellite and an unknown virus is released. All residents of the town die or commit suicide, with only an old man and an infant surviving. The military gathers a group of the best volunteer scientists to find out what the dangerous pathogen is and how to fight it.
Scientist and teacher Norman Spencer lives with his wife Claire. One day she sees the ghost of a girl. When Claire manages to establish a connection with her and understand why the girl is so persistent in trying to "get through" to her, the couple's lives are turned upside down.
The action unfolds in post-war Berlin, turned into ruins by World War II. Jake Geismar, an American war correspondent, is drawn into political games by his former lover Lena Brandt, whose missing husband becomes the object of a manhunt by both the American and Soviet armies. The situation escalates as Jake tries to uncover what Lena, desperate to escape Berlin with her husband, is hiding. She plans to use the contacts of Jake's personal driver, US Army soldier Tully, who has black market connections. Only there's no guarantee that they won't end up in an even bigger trap as a result...
A merry band of "jokers" is busy traveling from city to city and testing computer security systems for the possibility of "hacking", and not always with the permission of the owners of these systems. They are true virtuosos of programming, their ingenuity in how to deceive the defense and steal information, knows no bounds. But things take a serious turn when two government agents start blackmailing them to force them to participate in some covert operations.
The whirlpool of events - deceit and truth indistinguishable from deceit, betrayal and political intrigue, dreams and hallucinations, predators and victims - all together splash out in a tragic finale, once again proving that the most dangerous of all animals - man.
