It is the end of days. A nuclear strike hits New York. Alfie, a young black male, survives but with no memory of what has happened. Another survivor, Meg, has taken refuge in the hills of Vermont, and she, too, is the victim of near absolute amnesia. Across the country, a prophet called John is revelling in the fallout of chaos. This is the final battle. Alfie and Meg don't know it, but they have a grim destiny. Can they build a New Jerusalem from the ruins of the White House?