Eli and his families lives changed drastically six years ago when they rushed into the Compound, an underground safe house set up by his incredibly rich father as a shelter to live through a nuclear holocaust. The place is stocked with everything they will need for 15 years, which is the estimated amount of time it would take the planet to heal enough to be safe.

You would think that under the circumstances, Eli would be close to his family, but that is not the case. He is uncomfortable even being touched by them and finds himself hiding away as much as possible. He is torn by the fact that his twin brother Eddy was unable to join them and was lost with their grandmother in the war.

Trouble starts to increase as problems with the food supply increase. This is just the most recent thing that has started Eli questioning things. The more he digs, the more he learns and the more horrified he (and the reader) is by what he finds out. This is a quick and intense tale that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat as the book picks up pace as it nears the exciting conclusion. It is a tale that would due the Twilight Zone proud!