War is on the horizon. The Traxx family has lived in peace for more than seventy-five years. After fleeing the wastelands of Texas, they settled in Colorado to establish a new community among the foothills of the mountains. Despite the problems of the past and the mutations of the present, they are determined to create a society where everyone can prosper. Varan and Caleb Traxx, abducted by slavers and presumed dead by their family, have survived the impossible journey across the desert to the coastal cities of what used to be California. There, they are sold into slavery and trained as warriors, forced to kill for the entertainment of the crowds who flock to old world stadiums. In California, Varan meets the slave girl, Freya. Their journey sets into motion events that will forever change the course of Earth's future.