A U.S. satellite has crash landed near the small town of Piedmont, New Mexico. Its only passenger is a deadly space microorganism, the "Andromeda Strain", that leaves everything dead in its wake. The only survivors of the first deadly encounter are a baby and a drunk. A group of top scientists are gathered to combat this seemingly unstoppable foe. Together, they must race against time to solve the secrets of this unwelcome visitor and stop its murderous rampage.