With a new original screenplay by Gerald DiPego, writer of the original film, Phenomenon II tells the story of an ordinary man, George Malley (Shyer), who sees a strange light bursting in the sky on his birthday and awakens the following day to find his IQ climbing and his body empowered. George wants to put his newfound gifts to good use for his mother, Nora (Clayburgh), and his small town. As the word spreads, however, he is treated instead as a freak and a rebel. When the government wants to use George's talents for other purposes, he fears he'll become a scientific guinea pig. In the original feature film, the story ended with George going off into the hills, presumably to die. In Phenomenon II, his story continues. George escapes to San Francisco and begins a new life under an assumed identity. As he adjusts to life in the big city, he senses other people may share his new-found abilities.
