Kayla Martin (Tiffani Thiessen) is a medical doctor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who has been assigned to the case.

She and the local officials carry the body of the surfer out of the plane and start processing people to be put in quarantine until they can be evaluated for exposure.

During the transfer, one of the passengers escapes to complete a business deal and unknowingly spreads the virus throughout Los Angeles.

As the epidemic worsens and the death toll rises all over California, the governor (Faye Dunaway) and mayor (Eric Roberts) have to find a way around their political differences so that they can make tough decisions dealing with the blackmail scheme, as well as a frightened populace and all of the problems associated with a widespread and deadly epidemic.

At the end, Kayla and her scientist team are able to find a cure: the drug lord's clear immunity to the virus is caused by his concurrent tuberculosis infection.