Government is hanging by a thread. Warlords, roaming bandits, and armed insurrections exist in America. Families struggle to survive in huge crowded communal camps from coast to coast. Food, clothing, and cold are constant worries. New rigid attitudes, a forced work ethic, and mistakes are leading to revolution. The economy has shriveled. There's a new currency. Whole industries are simply gone, confiscated. Fossil fuels are reserved for only government and military service.

Families are placed on farm land with only hand tools for growing crops. Food supplies must be supplemented by hunting and gathering. Housing has returned to pioneering expedients. Steve Ambler is a roving trouble shooter, serving a government with an uncertain future. The McCandless family finds old skills are required, must be relearned, and new defenses are necessary to survive with few resources.