In 2012, Chicago becomes the first city in the world to implement ctOS (Central Operating System) – a computing network connecting every device together into a single system, developed by technology company Blume. While conducting an electronic heist at the high-end Merlaut Hotel, hacker Aiden Pearce and his mentor and partner, Damien Brenks, trigger a silent alarm set by another hacker. Damien tries to find the hacker, giving himself and Aiden away. Fearing for his family, Aiden drives them to safety in the guise of a surprise trip to the country. On the way, hitman Maurice Vega attacks them, resulting in a car crash that kills Aiden's six-year-old niece Lena.
