As a child, Max was part of a highly classified genetic enhancement project. She and several other children were trained in a deeply secluded compound to use their superhuman powers. At a young age, Max and several others escaped the compound and made their way in the world. Now a beautiful young bike messenger and thief, Max is trying to find her lost ""siblings"" from the project, but at the same time, Max is trying to dodge capture from her former handlers led by Lydecker, and is aided in her quest by Logan Cale, an idealistic cyber-journalist.

Max is lured further into Logan's realm when he promises her more information about her past. He tells her about the woman who picked her up roadside as a child - a woman named Hannah. Max heads out to find Hannah, and ultimately gets more clues about her biological mother. But Hannah is forced to reveal Max's whereabouts to Lydecker. Max manages yet another daring escape from Lydecker. Also, Max's feline DNA puts her in heat and she relentlessly pursues a man, Eric. They never really hook up, but Eric is left with a huge crush on Max and gets unsuspectingly sucked into her adventure. Elsewhere, the private eye, Vogelsang, double-crosses Max and sells information about her to Lydecker.

Max's seizures increase. Low on her medication after her friends mistakenly flush it down the toilet, Max breaks into a drug clinic. She is caught and ends up in jail and more openly a target for Lydecker. When her friends find out, Cindy gets herself arrested in order to help Max break out. Meanwhile, Lydecker closes in on Max. With the help of a stranger Cindy and Max manage to breakout. Lydecker's efforts to trap Max are again thwarted by Logan's tactics.

Max gets called to a secret meeting after seeing a personal ad containing her bar code tattoo number. She leans that Vogelsang claims to know about the remaining children from Manticore. He insists on a large sum of money for the information. Logan questions Vogelsang's motives and his relationship to Lydeker. Mysteriously, Logan's ex-wife reappears after many years of non-contact. Max is suspicious of the ex-wife's motives, but Logan feels drawn to his ex-wife. However, Max discovers the ex-wife has dark motives for returning. Elsewhere, Herbal is fired from the messenger service after using Rastafarian drugs. Cindy and Kendra head up a protest strike.