Summary

In Chapter 1, Henry Parsons, deputy director for infectious diseases with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, is sent by Maria Savona to study the deaths of 45 young adults at Kongoli Number Two Camp in West Java. They had learned about the strange deaths at a conference in Geneva. The man who presented the information about the deaths believed they had been caused by a bacteria, but Henry did not think his findings were correct. Henry, who is described as having a commanding voice even though his body is deformed by a childhood case of rickets, wanted to go home because his son’s birthday was days away. Maria promised him it would take only two days to get slides and samples for them to study.

Before Henry left, he asked Maria, who was Italian, if she had heard anything from her...