A dark, mysterious, but by most accounts "innocuous" alien substance nicknamed the "Ick" has slowly taken root in the world. Hank, a failed football star turned high school science teacher, has spent years blaming the Ick for his limp. When the Ick eventually evolves and begins to attack, Hank must decide whether to save the life of a student who he suspects may be his daughter, or save the lives of all the other students at risk.