The United Americas of Earth: 2249 A.D. On the eve of his execution, Death Row inmate Kerick Riley overpowers the guard and escapes the violent penal colony that has been his prison for over fifteen years. On the run to find the answers he seeks, the grim-faced, gray-eyed Kerick has two things on his mind: revenge and woman. Scientist Nellie Kan has spent the last several years researching a frightening disease that has manifested itself in certain populations of humans.