Our focus here is on attractive couple George (Rafe Spall) and Amy (Eleanor Tomlinson). Newly arrived in Woking, the London Evening Gazette journalist and amateur scientist hope their new surroundings will help them find peace. George's decision to leave a loveless marriage with his cousin Lucy for the educated Amy has seen him shunned by polite society and estranged from his family. Even his formerly close brother, Frederick (Rupert Graves), a government official, now has no time for his sibling. "This is a selfish, cruel pursuit that cannot help but bring forth the most unpleasant consequences," he hisses. However, when six trawlers mysteriously disappear off the coast of Hull, it's clear they are all facing far bigger problems. At first, the British government blame the Russian navy, but then "meteorites" begin landing around the countryside. One of them blazes a trail through Horsell Common, arousing the interest of both Amy and local astronomer Ogilvy (Robert Carlyle). As locals begin gathering to gawk at the space debris, something strange begins to unfold. The meteorite rises, emitting a heat ray that kills everyone it touches. Naturally, panic ensues and the government's initial attempts to downplay the event quickly fall away as more and more reports of similar incidents across the land come in. It is though, only the beginning.