Months before college begins, Harloh and her small town suffer a tragedy, along with the rest of the United States. After weeks of random deaths blamed on animal attacks, videos of dead people rising and attacking the living are leaked. Slowly, the government begins to shut down, her loved ones begin to turn on each other, and some don't manage to come home. Harloh and her boyfriend Blake set out on a journey, trying to find anyone or anything to save them. Summer was nothing like she had planned. After struggling between choosing Stanford or her relationship, she now must choose between life and death. Running can only be an option for so long. Along the way, Harloh learns things about her family and herself that she never saw coming. She becomes stronger than she thought was ever possible and she meets people she would have never met if the world didn't collapse. Part of her even finds herself being thankful that the world ended, that she met the people she did.