The destruction of Athena-1, a space station controlled by Energyne, a company specializing in genetic manipulation, was a catastrophic event triggered by a mutant laboratory rat. Dr. Kerry Atkins, the sole survivor of the incident, is instructed by CEO Claire Wyden to retrieve the research canisters containing a dangerous pathogen. Despite managing to escape in the pod as the station crumbled, the damage caused by the rat resulted in the pod disintegrating upon re-entry, leading to Atkins's demise. The wreckage from the station scattered across the United States, with fragments falling into the Everglades in Florida, where an American crocodile devours a canister, and a forest in Wyoming, where a gray wolf is exposed to the pathogen. Meanwhile, in San Diego Wildlife Sanctuary, Davis Okoye, a primatologist and former member of the US Army Special Forces, has developed a deep bond with a rare albino western lowland gorilla named George. Having rescued George from poachers, Okoye communicates with the gorilla through sign language and gestures. One fateful night, a canister crashes into George's habitat, exposing him to the deadly pathogen...