Nolan Byrd is a scrawny and shy 9th grader who, like all the other kids, is bullied by Bubba Bixby. When their teacher, Mr. Green allows the students to do a computer project, Nolan, who has a particular knack with technology, decides to catch Bubba in action.
In 2013, there are no highways, no I-ways, no dreams of a better tomorrow, only scattered survivors across what was once the United 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.