Dr. Janos Rukh, a brilliant but unorthodox scientist, invents a powerful telescope that allows him to observe a meteor crash that occurred a million years ago in remote Africa. As part of his scientific pursuit, he organizes an expedition with his skeptical colleague, Dr. Felix Benet, and their team to locate the impact site. Upon discovering the meteorite, they find it is composed of a unique element, "Radium X," which has both incredible healing properties and deadly radioactive consequences. During the exploration, Rukh accidentally exposes himself to Radium X and begins to glow in the dark, realizing that the radiation has rendered him lethally radioactive to others.

As Rukh tries to harness the power of Radium X for the betterment of humanity, he grapples with the toxic side effects and his own deteriorating mental state. Meanwhile, Dr. Benet isolates an antidote to temporarily mitigate the harmful radiation effects on Rukh, but tensions rise as ethical disagreements between the two scientists come to the forefront. Fearing for his life and increasingly paranoid, Rukh's behavior becomes erratic and dangerously unstable, leading him down a path of revenge and destruction against those he believes have wronged him. The terrifying ramifications of Rukh's discovery threaten everyone involved as danger escalates.