When a mysterious virus ravages the campus of Michigan State University, turning students and faculty into ravenous, shambling monsters, a mismatched group of survivors must band together to endure the nightmare. Among them is Rose, a brilliant but shy literature student, and Professor Sebastian Castillo, the brooding, devastatingly handsome architect of their desperate escape. As Rose and her fellow survivors - including her sarcastic best friend Nina, awkward track runner Max, fierce fashionista Margot, and Tobias, the wise-cracking theater kid with a hidden depth - fight their way through the infested streets, they uncover chilling hints that the plague may have originated closer to home than they ever imagined.