The Tommyknockers is the story of Bobbi Anderson, who whilst in the woods behind her house trips over a strange metal object, she stars digging it up to find it to be much larger than she first anticipated. At the same time her friend Gard comes to see her after humiliating himself in a drunken rage after a successful poetry reading. The metalic object, which would seem to be a spaceship, gives out a strange sort of radiation that begins to affect everyone in the town, they get smarter and start building unusual contraptions. They also start to change physically, losing teeth, getting thinner and their skin becomes translucent. Only Gard isn't affected, due to a metal plate in his head, he has to play a long game, continuing to help the townspeople as they try to excavate the ship all the while trying to find a way to put a stop to them.