Robert wakes up on Valentine's Day and discovers the power has gone out in his house; nothing is working. His pet birds are lifeless, and his neighbors are dead. The further Robert steps out his door, the more he realizes that he is a survivor. With modern technology lifeless and the people he knows all gone, he must travel to a warmer climate in order to live. Along the way, he meets Karen and ten other people who have survived. The group starts a new beginning in Freedom, Virginia. Although a group of survivors, they become the foundation for a new society and uncover the truth beneath the mysterious disaster they have withstood. The fact of their survival is not the only trouble they encounter. Questions of love, politics, power, and sex face the group. What will they do without modern technology in order to protect and cultivate their fledgling society? Can Robert and the group survive with one another and create a new beginning?