When Mark White quit his job as head bubonic plague epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and fell in love with a beautiful Filipina, he had no idea they'd find themselves traveling the world training teams to fight epidemics and natural disasters, including Ebola virus, cholera, typhoid, malaria, AIDS, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. They supervised evacuees from a giant volcanic eruption and earthquakes.

Along the way, they lived through six military coups, a murder plot, and a near-fatal electrocution.

Eventually, Mark returned to CDC to become Director of the Division of International Health.