Located on a remote part of the Navajo reservation in Arizona, the project and its scientists remain a mystery to local inhabitants. The scientists converted the Red Mesa, once mined for coal and honeycombed with tunnels and galleries, into a supercollider of monumental proportions. They hope to recreate the Big Bang and produce cheap energy. Because an old Indian burial site also sits on the mesa, the Navajos schedule a protest ride against Isabella.

Meanwhile, a televangelist looking for an issue sees the project as a way to gain funds and adherents. He enlists the help of a half-crazed preacher who runs a small mission on the reservation. His efforts fuel many to join the protest and to swamp Internet email systems.

The president who sponsored Isabella is running for re-election and can't afford any scandal tied to the project. If Isabella fails, he'll lose his bid to retain the presidency. When communication with the scientists crashes, he calls on the National Guard and the military to solve the problem.

Echoes of Close Encounters abound. Crowds lead to riots and many die, including soldiers, fundamentalists, and scientists. Isabella could threaten the very survival of Earth.

An action-packed and fast-paced novel, some will argue with the science and others with stereotypes, but Preston gives the reader little time to think or to analyze. He provides enough ambiguity to allow readers to draw their own conclusion.