After a terrible unknown event destroys civilization as we know it,a father and son are left to find other survivors who are "good guys". They survive on scavaging from houses and the land around them. Malevolent communities of cannibals have cropped up everywhere, and people kill over cans of peaches.
Still, the father and son journey onward in search of the coast and any long lasting community. Along the way, the son is forced to come to grips with the harsh realities of life and he must mature and adapt to this new harsh reality.
The father uses his sophisticated technical knowledge and combat skills to surmount the obstacles along the way, and tries to teach his son all of his tricks. Ultimately, the father succumbs to illness and his son must carry on where he left off. After his father dies, the novel ends with hope as the son meets two other "good guys" and is accepted into their band of survivors.
