Former heroes have seemingly become targets. The Comedian has been murdered, Dr. Manhattan has been exiled to Mars, an assassination attempt has been made on Ozymandias, and the outlaw vigilante Rorschach has been arrested. Suspicious of the events, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre are spurred out of retirement to investigate. As they grapple with personal ethics, inner demons and a society turned against them, they race the clock to uncover a deepening plot that might trigger global nuclear war.