After a tumultuous year in which her mentor is murdered and her estranged father comes back into her life, Pia Grazdani, decided to take some time off from her medical studies and escape New York City. Intrigued by the promise of the burgeoning field of medical technology and the chance to clear her head in the cool air of Colorado, Pia takes a job at Nano, LLC, a lavishly funded, security-conscious nanotechnology institute in the Rockies. Nano is ahead of the curve in the competitive world of molecular manufacturing, including the construction of microbivores, tiny nanorobots with the ability to gobble up viruses and bacteria.