The story of the titular 'Quave' concerns a group of politically motivated hackers work out of a converted apartment in Queens, New York, and after failing to hack a bank with a traditional virus, decide to create something entirely new - a virus that becomes more than just a virus - a virus that becomes its own functioning entity.
Quavetakes place in the present day, and tells the story of a new and hyper-advanced virus (the QUasi-Autonomous Viral Entity) which is used experimentally by a politically-motivated hacker group, who target a bank. Gaining self-awareness and learning capacity, the virus exceeds its orders, takes steps to ensure self-preservation, and then becomes paranoid, acting against those who seek to restrict or destroy it. The virus causes extensive damage, both to digital records and the physical world, including a number of murders, before it can be reasoned with. Finally, the virus becomes the object of study and research, although its continued existence may threaten a repeat of the mayhem, or perhaps worse.