The film is based on the book by Michael Crichton. The story revolves around a satellite that returns to earth, in a remote town in the USA. Through ignorance, the local MD/GP opens it, releasing extra-terrestrial germs that were collected for research by the scientific and military community , with a view to Biological Warfare against Eastern Block countries. Based on his actions, the town is wiped out from this contagious disease. A Top Secret scientific team, based in an even more top secret base underneath the nevada desert, to try to study the disease and prevent it mutating and spreading. Because of its mutation, it creates contamination within the lab, almost creating the base to auto self destruct and spread the disease world wide. This has considerable overtones of the British TV Series Doomwatch, which covered scientific research and accidents with its consequences.