The Parkers are separated once again by forces out of their control. The bloated behemoth of the federal government is taking its last dying breaths, but it is fighting to stay alive. A new threat is emerging to their east and west. Forces beyond the reach of the failing government and beyond the reach of many common men are attempting to deal the last death blow to the American way of life. The country went through a free fall. The death toll is in the millions due to disease, violence, and starvation. But the few refractory left, the stubborn ones, are making a go of finding a way to rebuild in the chaos. They are forging new bonds and relationships that could possibly form formidable alliances which pose a threat to the more sinister intentions of those who would see America fall to her death. America is clinically dead. Her government is in ruin. The one man who was in line to succeed, the transportation secretary, finally reappears after months of absence to attempt to ascend to the station of president but the survivors left, and the military have no use for a bureaucrat when they need a leader. His arrival throws the defense efforts of the nation in a tailspin that could cost them everything. The Parker's and the rest of the nation have to dig deep not only to fight to maintain their freedom, but to maintain their humanity as well in this failed state that was once America.