Radio astronomer Zane Zaminsky (Sheen) believes he's picked up a cosmic noise that signals extraterrestrial intelligence. But after turning over the tape to his boss Phil Gordian (Silver), Zane's fired, his girlfriend (Polo) gets transferred and his partner is found dead from a supposed suicide. Zane's desperate search for answers leads him to Mexico and a mysterious power plant, generating more than electricity and run by people who are not what they appear to be. Arrested for the murder of a scientist (Crouse) investigating an impending ecological disaster, Zane escapes custody carrying proof of a world- shattering alien invasion.