When Bill Masen wakes up to a catastrophe, he is glad that bandages covered his eyes the night before. He finds a population rendered helpless by the green lights; now blind, they are at the mercy of the Triffids. Once, with their ability to move and their carnivorous habits, the Triffids were just botanical curiosities. But now, with vulnerable human flesh to feast upon, these homicidal plants are set to turn town and country alike into a killing ground, and, perhaps, replace humanity at the top of the food chain...