Former CERN scientist turned Hedge Fund CEO Alex Hoffman anonymously receives an antique book at his Geneva mansion. That night, while his wife Gabby sleeps, Alex is attacked and left unconscious by an intruder.

There is a fatal plane crash. Airline stocks plummet. VIXAL's foresight makes the fund millions but Marieme (Chief Risk Officer) is concerned about how this will look to regulators. Alex harbours his own concerns when he finds terrorist websites open on his computer.

Alex follows the intruder to a hotel in the red-light district. The man Karp claims Alex hired him to engage in sadistic fantasy before killing him.

VIXAL has gone beyond its programming limits and is crashing the financial markets. Alex tries to shut it down, but the system keeps rebooting.