2012 was the end of the world. All society and civilizations fell, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves. Few made it.

In book one:

Samantha:

After being taken from her Seattle office at gunpoint during the apocalypse, Samantha's chopper crashes and she is taken hostage by the Cruz brothers. Abused and hurting, to get her life back, she has to take theirs and learns a harsh lesson in survival.

Kenn/Cadet

Kenn and the cadet were missed in the evacuations and instead of heading home for the boy's pregnant mom, the Marine heads for NORAD, sure the timid little woman he's controlled for so long couldn't have survived the end of the world. These two are picked up by Safe Haven Mobile Refugee Camp and the Marine quickly begins building himself a place among these strong survivors.

Angela/Brady

Angela lost her baby in the war and that pain forced her to face the awful truth. Without using her gifts, those forbidden powers that have kept her chained to Kenn for more than 10 years, she will never see her teenage son again. Forced to wait for her body to heal before she can start her quest, Angie calls out to her son's real father, Brady. They are reunited in the postapocalyptic remains of Indiana and it's clear that the sparks are still there.

Adrian

Adrian has a secret that no one knows and he struggles to keep it hidden, even as he risks everything to gather his flock. He is a leader, a patriot, and there's nothing he won't do in his quest to keep some of his country alive. Even kill.

Cesar/Rick

Rick is a traitor. He belongs to the leader of a group of Mexican guerillas that are intent on destroying what's left of the postapocalyptic United States. Cesar leads these ruthless killers, sending Rick into camps of refugees as his spy, before murdering the men and taking the women hostage. Cesar hates America and heads up Interstate 25 like an end-of-the-world plague.