A divorced man and his two kids are heading to his cabin in the mountains for a vacation when a nuclear war starts. This story traces their lives throughout the years following the catastrophic event, as well as, the lives of many others persons who make it through the nuclear war alive. Part eight deals with tragic events in a small city nearby, developments which later impacts on the welfare of this survivalist family and their friends, all of whom live many miles away from the place where the crisis takes place.