Set in Seattle, post September 11th, Exodus charts America's continued push for new frontiers, and a journey away from its own decadence and excess. Collins shows how Seattle has become a hiding place for white America, far removed from the urban jungle of New York City, home to Microsoft and increasingly to biotech engineering. In this hostile atmosphere, where the enemy is nowhere and everywhere, further attacks take place on America, specifically computer and biological attacks that bring the country to a grinding halt. A computer virus propagates and is followed by a biological strike, and an investigation into the origin of both attacks begins. Amidst the dual investigations, a mounting death toll, and economic chaos, a think tank gathered by Seattle millionaires conceives of a plan to leave planet Earth to terra-form Mars.