The end of Los Angeles is only the beginning for Nick and Shane Wenzel. They mourn together after a nuclear terrorist attack claims the lives of their parents. Their responses to the tragedy soon set them on different paths. Nick moves to Ohio to live with his estranged uncle. Governor Serge Bough's demand for a crusade against the Arab nations appeals to the young man. Shane joins a student organization opposed to the civil rights abuses that stem from the new security crackdown. As the world economy crumbles, Shane's ideology becomes a minority viewpoint. Serge Bough's Progressive Conservative Party steadily wins representation in the government. When Bough seizes absolute power, Shane joins a resistance movement known as the American Liberation Front. He must fight against a powerful totalitarian regime that includes his own brother.