Nineteen-year-old Neon Ryder suspects she has a superhuman ability to heal people. When she visits the Long Beach VA hospital to see her old friend and girlhood crush, Jimmy Trent, she isn't prepared for what she finds. Jimmy, a Vietnam Vet, is an angry, depressed, and suicidal quadriplegic, whose spinal cord was severed by a Viet Cong sniper's bullet. Neon's attempt to cure him leaves Jimmy astonished and perplexed, while she nearly dies.

As Jimmy slowly recovers, Neon's selfless act of compassion unleashes a torrent of ever- escalating problems on everyone she loves. Her parents, Frank and May, living under the radar for twenty years, are in danger of discovery. May is a plant-based alien with healing powers hiding in a human body. Frank is the FBI agent who captured her in 1949. If recaptured, May will be studied and dissected and Frank subjected to a congressional-military investigation and undoubtedly sent to Leavenworth for aiding and abetting an alien's escape.

If that's not enough, Neon learns that Frank is not her biological father. Further complications arise because a paraplegic, Bob Evans, son of a billionaire with powerful connections, witnessed Neon's attempt to heal Jimmy. He suspects Neon gave Jimmy an experimental drug, and he wants a dose of whatever it is. When she denies doing anything for Jimmy, Bob informs his father.

Soon afterwards, Jimmy is kidnapped, and a shadowy pharmaceutical group biopsies his spinal cord. Astounded by what is discovered, the attention turns to Neon, who is alone and searching for Jimmy. Her parents are under house arrest and waiting to be questioned by the FBI.