When Neil survives a deadly plague and plunges into solitude, he must
question everything in this gripping adventure from critically acclaimed
Tripods author John Christopher.
Neil's world is shattered when he and his family are involved in a
horrible car accident that leaves him an orphan. He is sent to live in a
small village with his grandparents, whom he loves but doesn't really
know.
Soon, a devastating illness, the Calcutta Plague, begins making the
headlines. After killing thousands of people in India in just a few
months, the disease begins to spread much farther, quickly sweeping
across the world and eventually settling in the same village where Neil
resides. The sickness is a strange one, affecting only the adults and
none of the children, and soon Neil finds himself an orphan once more.
Alone, Neil travels to London in search of other survivors of the
plague. There he finds a strange world of fear and suspicion, where
friends can be enemies and people will do anything to survive. In this
time of strife, amid the excitement and loneliness of his solitude, can
Neil find a way to focus on what matters most?