Following Robin Cook's Death Benefit, in Nano embattled medical student Pia Grazdani decides to take a year off from her studies and escape New York City. Intrigued by the promise of the burgeoning field of medical technology, Pia takes a job at Nano, LLC, a lavishly funded, security-conscious nanotechnology institute in the picturesque foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Nano, LLC is ahead of the curve in the competitive world of molecular manufacturing, including the construction of microbivores, tiny nano-robots with the ability to gobble up viruses and bacteria.