The advent of Webmind-a vast consciousness that spontaneously emerged from the infrastructure of the World Wide Web-is changing everything. From curing cancer to easing international tensions, Webmind seems a boon to humanity.

But Colonel Peyton Hume, the Pentagon's top expert on artificial intelligence, is convinced Webmind is a threat. He turns to the hacker underground to help him bring Webmind down. Then, hackers start mysteriously vanishing. Is Webmind killing them before they can mount an attack? Meanwhile, Caitlin Decter-the once-blind 16-year-old math genius who discovered Webmind- desperately tries to protect her friend. And Masayuki Kuroda, the scientist whose implant gave Caitlin sight, modifies his technology to help Sinanthropus, a paraplegic Chinese freedom blogger, regain use of his legs-unaware of Sinanthropus's role in China's plans to eliminate Webmind. Can this new world of wonder survive-or will everything, Webmind included, come crashing down?