The Nest

Sheriff Richard Tarbell wakes to a house swarming with cockroaches. He realizes the infestation may be more than a nuisance and could threaten the town. The morning incident marks the start of a mystery that will drag him back into trouble.

Tarbell drives to North Port's airport to pick up Elizabeth Johnson, the mayor's daughter and his former girlfriend, who has been away for four years. She returns in time for Elias Johnson's birthday and for the town's unsettled mood to intensify. Her arrival reopens old tensions and entwines their fates with the investigation to come.

Strange occurrences sweep through North Port as the crisis deepens: bindings in the local library are damaged and several dogs are found slaughtered. The community notices the events spread beyond a single house and creep through everyday life. The sense of danger grows with each new report.

Dr. Morgan Hubbard arrives in North Port to investigate the dog deaths and the strange disturbances. She sets a trap baited with a live cat to lure the roaches, hoping to study them up close. The roaches descend, latching onto the bait and devouring the cat, revealing their ferocity.

Hubbard observes that the cockroaches reproduce asexually and are hardier than expected. Her rotenone experiments show the insects can only be killed by a dosage lethal to humans, highlighting a dangerous paradox. She also notes that eggs which survive the rotenone hatch and become immune, signaling a looming catastrophe.

Mayor Elias Johnson urges evacuation, but Hubbard persuades him to stay and fight rather than abandon the island. The disagreement heightens tension between town leadership and the investigators. The threat continues to grow as the clock ticks.

Tarbell shows Homer small objects found on a dog carcass, identified as droppings from Periplaneta species. Millie reveals that Hubbard once worked in genetics at MIT and conducted illegal experiments, hinting at a concealed backstory. The pieces begin to connect into a dangerous conspiracy behind the roaches.

Elizabeth ventures into a cave and finds equipment bearing the INTEC logo, a corporation tied to Elias's deals. She is chased by flesh-eating cockroaches, and she and Tarbell confront Elias and Hubbard about the truth. Richard resigns as sheriff in frustration and solidarity.

The cockroaches claim several victims as the outbreak worsens: diner worker Church, Homer’s friend Jake, and librarian Mrs. Pennington are killed. Homer accidentally blows up his own house while attempting to kill the pests. The town mourns and steels itself for what's coming next.

Elias calls INTEC’s Mr. Hauser and orders a lethal spray of insecticide at 5 a.m. The plan hinges on whether residents can evacuate, but a lighthouse beacon would signal not to spray if evacuation is impossible. Hubbard realizes timing is crucial to the next phase of INTEC's experiments.

During a confrontation, Elias is attacked by cockroaches and dies, returning as a human-cockroach hybrid. Elizabeth kills him with a shotgun, ending his manipulation over the crisis. The revelation underscores the monstrous potential of INTEC's genetic experiments.

Elizabeth, Hubbard, and Richard head to the cave to locate the nest, while Homer goes to the lighthouse to halt the spraying. In the cave, Hubbard is killed by a queen cockroach-human hybrid, and Elizabeth and Richard detonate an explosive to incinerate the nest. Homer triggers the lighthouse beam, stopping INTEC's plan, but a single cockroach survives to begin the terror anew.