Do you know where your parents were when you were conceived? No, not many people would. Ivan knows, and he knows that's why he is "special." Many years after Ivan's conception, his father, Niels Borgue, is returning from a successful mission to Ceres when some water samples are accidentally released in the space capsule. Niels and his two crew mates ingest the water-and the bacteria it carries. Infected, and with no cure in sight, the three men threaten the whole world if released from quarantine. This dilemma confronts Niels and his wife, as well as the two other crew members on the Ceres mission. Left with no other option, they come up with the Final Solution-one that might just make humanity as special as Ivan.