Zack is still recovering from his loss and trying to prepare his friends and family for the challenges of surviving in a new world full of danger and criminals around every corner. They meet a lot of good people and run into some dangerous "old enemies" in this post-apocalyptic tale.
The USA has been attacked with nuclear devices detonated several hundred miles inland and a hundred miles above our country. The shit hit the fan: our country has seen the apocalypse and is now trying to survive in this post-apocalyptic world. There is no electricity or transportation, and people are dying from starvation, disease, and violence. Zack Johnson is no hero, but he does have some valuable skills to help him survive. He was a thousand miles from home - the grid and all modern transportation had failed. The country had degenerated into violence and dog-eat-dog scenarios. People are killing their neighbors for a scrap of moldy bread or a sip of water. The remnants of the US government are not helpful, and we find out why the government has not helped during this disaster. Zack made it back to Kentucky and has his daughter safely at his farm but lost the woman he loved. Now he must make a new life for his daughter and friends even though he finds danger around every corner and doesn't know whom to trust.