Courtney Wesley and her lover, Dr. Josh Ledbetter, are working as medical missionaries in the Congo when Ledbetter falls victim to a mysterious and violent disease. They return home, and medical specialists in America are initially stumped. Doctors are then shocked to discover Ledbetter suffers from a new form of a devastating disease previously known to afflict only the cannibalistic people of Papua New Guinea.

In order to avoid a Federal Isolation Order, Ledbetter flees, and Courtney vows to heal her lover and save his life -- but is she already too late? His strange illness manifests itself in violent ways. Ledbetter's mind and body are both affected as he develops the unquenchable hunger for human flesh. He becomes a walking zombie, his murderous rampage infecting others with the disease from Dallas to the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Courtney is on his tail, but so are the authorities who want him dead. Driven by concern, she returns to Africa with her father, where they set out to find a cure for Ledbetter's mysterious disease. There, she makes the acquaintance of a witchdoctor by the name of L'ombo. He is the keeper of ancient secrets and holds the key to healing Dr. Ledbetter. They must work together before the disease spreads further and America is infested with mindless cannibals.