Composer Peter Els opens the door one evening to find the police on his doorstep. His home microbiology lab -- his latest attempt to find music in surprising patterns -- has aroused the suspicions of Homeland Security. Panicked, Els flees. Amid an Internet-fueled hysteria, the "Bioterrorist Bach" pays a final visit to the people he loves. Through their help, Els hatches a plan to turn this disastrous collision with the security state into a work of art. -- Provided by publisher.

Originally published: New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 2014.