On a beautiful fall day, the small town of Chester's Mill, Maine, is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and rain down flaming wreckage. Cars explode on impact. Families are separated and panic mounts. No one can fathom what this impenetrable barrier is, where it came from, and when--or if--it will go away. As the days go by and the grim reality of the situation dawns, each of Chester's Mill's residents reveals their true nature in the face of shortages, rationing, lawlessness, and uncertainty. Survival now depends on Dale "Barbie" Barbara, an ex-army drifter trapped with everyone else who must now lead an intrepid few to uncover the sinister forces intent on holding the town hostage--and to somehow escape it before there's no one left alive...