In the not-too-distant future, the world is fully computerized. Human beings with artificial interfaces and brains merge with machines, reaching a new level of existence between the physical world and the digital network. To combat crimes related to new technologies, an anti-terrorist task force has been created, made up of “enhanced” individuals capable of pursuing all kinds of criminals in both the real and virtual worlds. Cyborg Lieutenant Motoko Kusanagi and her fellow members of Section 9 must resolve a delicate hostage crisis, stop a runaway next-generation assault tank, and determine the cause of the mysterious suicides of a series of obsolete robots. All of this before facing the unprecedented challenge of the elusive hacker known as the “Laughing Man.”