Altered Skin

Craig Evans, an American expat living in Karachi, Pakistan, is married to Insiya Zia, a Pakistani doctor. During a routine hospital round, she contracts a virus called the MN-2. A devastating pathogen, the virus causes uncontrollable outbursts of violent rage. With no cure in sight, the doctors have no choice but put Insiya in a state of induced coma. Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread through the country. People infected by it are referred to as 'carriers'. The only relief is a drug called Sedare. It is manufactured by Ingenec, a local pharmaceutical company, and sold as an adhesive patch. It is so ubiquitous that in the market it is simply called the 'patch'. However, it's not a cure; it only calms the symptoms for a few hours at a time. The patch is also useless in advanced stages of the disease. As Insiya's condition deteriorates, it appears Craig has accepted her impending death. But the dead body of an investigative reporter turns up in a sewer, setting off a domino of events that leads Craig to the mystery behind the virus...and to the last chance at saving his wife.