The Defenders are cast across the globe in this explosive annual! In Washington D.C., Doctor Strange must convince the President that Nebulon’s Mind Control Movement is not in the public’s best interest. Power Man and Valkyrie investigate mysterious deaths in India, while Nighthawk and Red Guardian take on a violent faction in France!

Jack Norriss, who was most recently paid off to leave the Defenders, tells the Defenders that actually he used the money to investigate Nebulon and the Headmen, and especially Ruby Thursday's candidacy for President of the United States.

Jack, being somewhat of an outsider, noticed that things had been going unexplainably wrong for the members of the team. Dr. Strange's spells weren't working, Hulk was weirdly political, and Valkyrie was strangely emotional. He realized that this was because the Headmen (unknown to the rest of the team, but witnessed by him) had experimented on the Defenders' brains. He could see that the Defenders weren't paying enough to the Headmen due to their own problems, and so Jack would look into them.

Realizing he's right, the Defenders decide to investigate strange events related to Nebulon and the Headmen in Paris, India, and Washington, DC.

Dr. Strange sends Nighthawk and Red Guardian to Paris, where they stop the execution of a man by the Nebulon-brainwashed Bozo clowns. He tells them about a group called Compagnie De Lux. Red Guardian takes the Bozo's outfit and goes undercover at the local Celestial Mind Control (CMC) group, which is run by Nebulon in his human disguise. However, he sees through her disguise.

Meanwhile Nighthawk discovers that De Lux is run by the Headmen, who in turn were trying to buy out the CMC group. De Lux owns a bunch of stuff, including in India.

Nighthawk tries to rescue Red Guardian, but the whole CMC building is shrunk down by a ray from Jerry Morgan, who then knocks Nighthawk out with gas.

In India, Luke Cage and Val find a reputed cult of killers. However, they find that they're not killing locals, but shrinking them down. Arthur Nagan confronts them, and gasses Cage. The cult explains that shrinking the people is their solution to overpopulation! She is then gassed, shrunk, and captured as well.

Jack Norriss, using his funds from being bought off by Nighthawk, acts like a James-Bond-style secret agent. He infiltrates Ruby Thursday's presidential campaign. However, she realizes who he is. She knocks him out.

Dr. Strange teleports the President (Gerald Ford) to another dimension, where he can talk about the problems with Nebulon and the Headmen. Nebulon shows up in the other dimension himself, and argues for why his brand of mind control is good for everyone. They battle, and Nebulon defeats Strange via a sneak attack from the rear.

Back in Washington, Nebulon forces the president to hold a ceremony appointing him as Ambassador to the United Nations. However, Dr. Strange returns and is intervenes.

However, the Headmen intervene more. They shrink Nebulon and Strange down and have them join the other Defenders in a dome. Luckily, Strange sent Hulk to attack the Headmen's HQ, and he breaks the dome. Nebulon brings them all back to normal size, and they defeat the Headmen.

Strange then uses the Eye of Agamotto to convince Nebulon that humanity is in fact not better off being mind-controlled. Nebulon teleports away.