It begins with silence. An electromagnetic pulse high in the atmosphere triggers a communication blackout, computers fail the world over. And in that moment of anachronistic quiet an astronomer makes the discovery of a lifetime. The pulse came from space. And it carried a message . . .

It begins with murder. In New Orleans, mob boss Marie Laveau - a descendent of a famous voodoo priestess - is gunned down. But her vast wealth ensures her resurrection. Reborn by means of nanotechnology, Marie searches for revenge and finds a conspiracy linked to the mysterious event now known as the Silence.

It is a Silence that will happen again and which will throw the earth into chaos and a nightmare new world order.