It is one hundred years since civilization as we know it was wiped out by a nuclear holocaust. Life continues for a few but the future is threatened as the values of the old culture come under attack from an increasingly superstitious people.
For Michael, it is the past that offers hope. Forbidden to marry and have children because his parents died of radiation sickness, he becomes "The Keeper" copying old books and recording the dramatic tale of his people. But when a group of young people breaks away in search of a new life, Michael decides to accompany them on their adventures.
With its lush setting on New Zealand's North Island, this is an exciting and challenging novel about the struggle to survive the unthinkable.