The United States is plunged into an authoritarian frenzy following a terrorist act that leaves lower Manhattan in ruin. James Woodward is a man of integrity with no interest in fanning flames, yet a single act of civil disobedience unravels his perfect life, and he is drawn to join the ever-growing mass of American refuges.

He soon discovers he is far from alone in his exile. Risking assassination, he joins a group determined to prevent the United States from devolving into a totalitarian state. Outcasts in a dystopian nightmare, they are caught in a struggle between unknown benefactors determined to aid their cause and others determined to see their idealistic efforts destroyed.

When a quiet protest ends in a bloodbath, the survivors turn to James's mysterious organization for support. With the help of hidden allies, they travel to Washington, D.C., where James and his friends seek peace but instead find a showdown in the shadow of the Washington Monument. Will the power of freedom save America, or will a paranoid government murder anyone who stands in its way?