Up until now, Michael Andraeson has spent all twenty-two years of his life on a compound in the Allagash wilderness of northern Maine. He and the other residents of Purgatory have been led to believe they are the only known survivors of the Last War. But a recent series of events has now caused Michael to become increasingly suspicious, and when he comes upon an email message in an office at the hospital, he has all the reason he needs to embark upon a daring journey to learn the truth. Assuming it really is safe to leave, and assuming Boston really is still there, who is it that will be getting off United Airlines Flight 7248 at 6:23 next Monday evening? Initially ignorant about the modern world, and unsure of who he can trust, Michael makes his way from the Allagash to Boston, where he befriends a homeless man and finds work outside a restaurant in the North End while continuing to search for the truth. With everyone after him from all sides, Michael manages to stay one step ahead as he eventually races clear across the country to San Francisco, where the matter is ultimately resolved in a riveting, action-packed conclusion.