Detective Miles Corbin investigates the murder of Arthur Jenkins, whose death was caused by a poisoned cigarette. The seemingly random act of violence sparks a media frenzy and a rise in cigarette prices, leading Corbin to suspect a larger conspiracy involving a network manipulating society. As he delves deeper into the case, Corbin uncovers a web of deceit and realizes he is hunting a phantom, a ghost in the machine of a city now terrified and enthralled by the unsmoked truth.