Gary Wheelan, a womanizing, adulterous thirty-something Dallas attorney, finally gets what he deserves when his verbal assaults provoke a telephone operator to systematically to ruin his life. This operator, he quickly learns, was the wrong woman to offend. The operator, who calls herself "Shiva," gets busy, using her broad access to information and technology to destroy Gary's life. Shiva ends Gary's sham of a marriage, strips him of his lovers, gets him in trouble with his bookie and destroys his professional reputation. Gary is powerless to stop her or convince anyone she even exists. As this mysterious, unseen woman relentlessly orchestrates his downward spiral, Gary tries to strike a deal and negotiate what she wants. Shiva claims that all her destructive efforts are meant to "free" Gary, and indeed, when he finally hits rock bottom, he discovers spiritual redemption.