A grieving widower is drawn into a custody battle over his granddaughter, whom he helped raise her entire life.

In 2013, there are no highways, no I-ways, no dreams of a better tomorrow, only scattered survivors across what was once the Unites States. Into this apocalyptic wasteland comes an enigmatic drifter with a mule, a knack for Shakespeare, and something yet undiscovered: the power to inspire hope.

Seven junior-high-school girls organize a daycare camp for children while at the same time experiencing classic adolescent growing pains.