Estranged lovers Natalie and Thaw's dreams are waylaid by terrorism and a nuclear meltdown that force immigrants from overrun cities to flood their small mountain village, doubling its size. The Matters boys are among the first to respond. Winter is coming and with it radiation sickness, decontamination, and lack of food, housing, and proper sanitation. Can this rural community navigate the crisis?

Newees and Townies who come together are resolved to survive the catastrophic challenges they face. Poignant, extremely well-researched, "Jolt" is an essential contemporary American masterwork.