On a cold winter's evening in February, the lights go out across Europe. First in Italy, then Sweden, Germany and France, the electricity grid collapses on an epic scale, unleashing devastating chaos across the continent. Controllers watch in disbelief as their systems turn from green to red. There is no power, and there is nothing they can do about it. Piero Manzano, a former hacker and activist, knows a thing or two about infiltrating networks and starts investigating the cause of this disaster. The authorities brush him off when he tries to speak to them and he soon becomes a prime suspect himself. With the United States now also at risk, Manzano goes on the run with Lauren Shannon, a young American CNN reporter based in Paris, desperate to uncover who is behind the attacks. After all, the power doesn't just keep the lights on -- it keeps us alive. This is no accident. This is no act of God. This is Blackout.