Since childhood Nila Carter has been made to spend every weekend at the family cabin. In her teenage years she believes it to be a prison; as an adult it becomes her sanctuary and means to survive.

When a mysterious outbreak occurs in India, Nila's brother, Bobby, a virologist with the CDC, places the family on a precautionary alert to be ready to bug out. Unlike anything he's ever seen, the rabies-like virus is not just deadly; it causes extreme violent behavior in those infected. Following her brother's advice, Nila begins to stockpile.

After months of preparing, just as it seems the virus is over, everything implodes, and Bobby tells his family to leave the city. With her family, Nila heads to the mountains and to her father's isolated land. There she is eventually joined by friends and strangers, all hoping to safely stay clear of the virus that grips the world. The plan is to wait until the virus burns out.

While there, the group forms a tight bond, feeling secure that they will beat the extinction event and in due course return home. As time moves on, Nila quickly learns there are things they cannot run from, and a virus is one of them. Despite how prepared they are, how secure the land, each day brings a new threat and a painful reality that not only is returning home a pipe dream, but the likelihood of all of them surviving is increasingly growing slim.