It's the year 2020, and in Sydney, John Dean is making plans – big plans. He's seen the writing on the wall. Temperatures of over 45 degrees are a regular occurrence and sea levels are rising; severe drought has meant harsh water restrictions, and the economy has slowed almost to a standstill. But John is not going to sit and suffer; he'll do whatever it takes to protect his family, and he's taking action.

This is the story of how he moves his family away from a society on the brink of destruction to create a haven and make a fresh start. The Dean family and those who join them on their farm pull together to create a self-sufficient life as civilisation crumbles around them. They struggle to learn farming techniques and long-lost skills, but they survive. Then a threat comes from the north when refugees stream into northern Australia to escape heat, flooding and starvation. The Dean group must do the unimaginable: they must kill to defend the farm and their lives.