George Galen is a brilliant scientist, a pioneer in gene therapy. But Galen is dangerously insane - he has created a method to alter human DNA, not just to heal diseases, but to "improve" people - make them stronger, make them able to heal more quickly, and make them compliant to his will. Frank Hartman is also a brilliant virologist, working for the government's ultra-secret bio-hazard agency. He has discovered how to neutralize Galen's DNA-changing virus, making him the one man who stands in the way of Galen's plan to "improve" the entire human race.

Novel based on Aaron Johnston's screenplay adaptation of Orson Scott Card's short story Malpractice, which first appeared in Analog science fiction/science fact vol. 97, no. 11, p. 156-166 (Nov. 1977). "A Tom Doherty Associates book."