Two years after an event known as the Collapse in which all of the world's computers and electronics crashed due to high-altitude electromagnetic pulses, the government has fallen apart and the world declined into barbarism. The countryside is roamed by bands of raiders and packs of wild dogs. Everywhere people struggle to survive without the aid of machinery. Twelve year old Edy 'Ed' Phillips must do whatever it takes to protect her six year old brother, Cadmus, in a post-apocalyptic America. Left alone without family or adults, Ed struggles with the concepts of morality and trust. Over time Ed and Cadmus meet other survivors, and Ed must decide if they are worthy of friendship or if the siblings should remain alone.