Everything in Samuel Kerr’s life is gone. After nearly four years in the debtor’s prison system, he’s released into a changed nation. Sam thought he had sent his wife and young son to live in safety with his parents, but when he reaches their California home, he finds his parents killed and his wife and son missing.
While Sam was in prison, national resources dwindled, and the wealthy barricaded themselves in new enclaves nicknamed “The Shining Cities.” Chaos reigns outside these city walls as everyone else fights for survival.
Sam discovers clues that suggest his wife and son are in the Shining City of Aspen, Colorado, more than a thousand miles away. With few supplies, and little chance of survival, Sam sets off toward Aspen.
Fearing he won’t survive the trip, Sam begins writing down his thoughts for his young son, Danny. Through ambush, new friends, and betrayal he uses a legal pad as his confessional and attempts to pass on the things he’s learned. It may be as close to fatherhood as he gets.