The explosions come in the night. Miranda1, Mannfred, Grannie, and the one thousand children of Oculum must flee their farm, chased by the UnRuly and their bombs. Just as they begin their journey through the wasteland and towards the safety of the green valley, Echo1 wakes from an eighty-three-year sleep and is given a mission to find the four domes of the children of Oculum, and to find the First One, whatever the cost. On the run from the UnRuly and their stolen weapons, the children endure plague and Black Rain. Yet, there is a whisper of hope. William1 and Jonatan Briar, two of the literate, ride to the northern sea to read a rare book, a book that will illuminate the secret to their survival. Echo1 searches the wasteland for life and faces a choice: who must be protected in this new world? And what must be destroyed?