John Raleigh Braling is a computer salesman who receives a cryptic message on his computer screen. Later he receives the same message in a newspaper and on a lunch bill. He tracks down source of the messages and meets a man who offers to sell him a robot replica of himself.

A neon sign artist named Joe Spelliner is injured in a car crash and sees a crowd of onlookers quickly gather. Days later he sees another car crash and notices that again the same crowd quickly gathers. He begins to investigate a series of accidents and news footage reveals that the same crowd arrives at every scene. What's more, Joe notices that the faces in the crowd match photographs of people at the city morgue.