After a massive solar flare hits Earth and destroys the power grid, electrical outages spread rapidly across the United States. Patrick Walker decides to bug out from their Mississippi Gulf Coast home to his grandfather's cabin in northern Arkansas to survive the chaos around them and save his family.

The quest for survival begins in their neighborhood when their friends turn against them and try to take their supplies. After a gun battle ensues, they barely escape with their lives and head North.

Their journey to Arkansas is filled with life-threatening hazards as the situation rapidly goes from bad to worse after Martial Law is enacted and the major highways are shut down.

As each day passes, their plight becomes one in which it is every man for himself, kill or be killed. Once they reach their destination, their struggle to survive only begins. The one-room cabin is much smaller than Patrick remembers and is void of running water, electricity, or toilets. The only way to heat the structure and cook food is with an old pot-bellied, wood-burning stove.

While searching the property, they discover an underground cellar that Patrick's grandfather has filled with canned food, but it's not long before they must fight off roaming gangs who try to steal their supplies.