The world Megan James thought she knew has been slowly unraveling. Her father disappeared and was presumed dead, her mother's sanity started to slip away, and the safe world she'd always thought she was living in slowly began to reveal its very dark and twisted depths. With the discovery that both her father and long-lost uncle, Angus James, were alive, Meg thought she'd finally learned all the secrets New Atlanta and the CDC had to offer, but she soon discovers the surprises have barely begun.

With Jackson Star's threatening presence looming over them, Meg and her family are forced to flee the walls of New Atlanta, leaving both Axl and Donaghy, the man Meg has come to care so much about, in the CDC's clutches. Knowing that rescuing them will be no easy task, the group turns to a very unlikely source, and Meg soon discovers her long-lost uncle has more than a few shocking secrets to share.

After two decades of living behind walls, it looks like the end of the zombies could be in sight, assuming they can break into the most fortified building left in the world. Luckily, Angus James knows exactly what to do to make it happen.

But Angus isn't the only one with a few tricks up his sleeves. When Jackson Star suddenly decides to release Donaghy, it isn't out of the kindness of his heart.

With the clock ticking more than ever, Meg finds herself in a race against time. Success means not only saving her family, but the whole world as well, while failure could very well mean a life of living as Jackson Star's slave.