The Zone: Life and Death

Yuriy, a man born in a small Ukrainian town outside of the 30km Zone of Alienation around the site of the Chernobyl disaster struggles to support his family as the growth of the Zone's borders threaten the stability of the area and more. Reports of fence-hoppers known as Stalkers (Scavenger, Trespasser, Adventurer, Loner, Killer, Explorer, Robber) seeking wealth, adventure or asylum within inspire him to risk everything in pursuit of the money his family desperately needs.

But with the promise of wealth and adventure also come rumors of environmental anomolies that defy the laws of physics and deadly mutants with terrifying properties. Yuriy must make his way to the Zone, evading military patrols along the border of the ecological disaster zone, steer clear of anomalies able to crush an APC to the size of a tin can or reduce a man to fragments with explosive force, and establish himself in one of the several factions observing loose alliances or vendettas with each other as they further their own goals in the Zone.

Along the way, Virtue makes some friends and enemies while experiencing the horrors of the Zone first-hand. While on a mission, his team and him discover disturbing evidence that sheds new life on the supposed accidental explosion in Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They decide to take matters into their own hands and make for the inaccessible center of the Zone to uncover the truth behind what really happened and discover the origin of the Zone.