Two Russian scientists in an underground laboratory in Saint Petersburg and American scientists aided by robots onboard an orbiting laboratory named Spacelab are racing to develop a class of virus capable of reading the memories locked in the brains of newly dead humans. In the course of the highly classified American effort, a former student of the lead American researcher discovers that certain of these viruses are capable of communicating with each other over great distances. Serious problems begin when the brains of living humans on both sides including two Russian cosmonauts, the lead American scientist and a United States senator are voluntarily and involuntarily exposed to the research viruses. They begin to hear unexplained voices communicating in their heads. After a Russian cosmonaut is observed onboard Spacelab and subsequently disappears, the Russians and Americans are forced to combine forces when it appears that an alien presence on the moon might be the root of all of their problems.