Set a few years before the events of Z.O.E. Dolores, Zone of the Enders: 2167 Idolo centers on the Deimos Incident, a terrorist attack carried out by Mars revolutionaries. The BAHRAM army selects its top pilots, Radium and Viola, to spearhead the testing of a new weapon system that Mars hopes will free them from the oppression of the United Nations Space Force (UNSF). This weapon, an Orbital Frame, is powered by the extremely rare and potent energy source known as metatron ore. The OVA depicts the Deimos Incident and the events leading up to it.