Four decades into the future, America is spotted with smoggy, military-ruled cities. Economic failure, riots, and war have poisoned the land. In northern Michigan, Richard Braxton lives with his friends. When a newcomer arrives, he assumes the boy is another spy for the transhumans. But when the outsider tells him of a coming war and an unstoppable army, Richard is plunged into a journey battling the horrors of a country left in ruins.