Roughly a quarter-century from now life as we know it is no more. The Stewart and Davis families are managing to hang on and even thrive on their farms in southern Tennessee. But when sixteen-year old Tim and his best friend Bobby decide to run off to see the ocean, older sister Eddie has to chase them down before they come to any harm. Her pursuit of the boys leads her across landscapes both familiar and irrevocably changed and ends with a heartbreaking finale on home ground.