Bill Masen wakes in hospital after an eye operation,the result of being stung by a triffid,an oil-yielding plant at the farm where he works. Walter,his boss,believes the triffids to be intelligent,cunning beings with the capacity for malice and Bill was also stung,though not severely,as a child by a triffid in his father's garden. The previous night most of the country,including hospital staff,were thrilling at a spectacular meteor shower but Bill,on removing his bandages,discovers that everybody who witnessed it has been blinded by its intense light.
—don @ minifie-1