BILLLY TODD HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFERENT. Most people called him odd, and those were the nice people. Born with a learning disability, Billy's parents never allowed him to consider himself disabled. Raised to be self-sufficient, Billy might not be as smart as some, but he's a lot smarter than people realized. So, when the entire world is devastated by a plague that kills over ninety-five percent of the population, Billy is not helpless. Believing he may be the only survivor in his town, he manages to place himself in a good position to survive alone in a new world.