Nick and his family have survived one month since the solar flare. His best friend, Mateo, resurfaces and pleads for help. Mateo is distraught since his wife was hospitalized during the event, and still needs his care. In addition, he has young children that are no help. Together Mateo and Neal develop a partnership, but Mateo is never the same person that he had been before.
More people seek help and it is getting harder for Nick to turn them away. Since he has figured out how to survive, he thinks it is selfish not to help them. Soon, he is running a small village of 100 survivors. The logistical processes of managing a small town are challenging. Each person has their own personal mental and physical problems, and there are no health care professionals among the survivors. Nick is compelled to do what he can for his people so that they are more capable of surviving. Nick's previous life problems are revealed in the context of how he helps everyone else.
Nick learns that at least a few husbands have been abusive, and he has to dissolve a marriage. However, that goes badly and the disgruntled husband threatens to become a lone gunman. Additionally, neighboring suburbs are developing their own villages. Some of them are hostile to Nick and his group. Factions among Nick's group want to attack their adversaries. Nick feels his power slipping away as plans for a fight become firm.
