Miranda Evans writes in her journal. It has been nearly a year since the world was plunged into darkness and chaos: An asteroid hit the moon, pushing it closer to Earth and creating massive tidal waves, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters. The electrical grid has been almost completely destroyed, and no food will grow without the sunlight that is now blocked by ash. This world is gray and cold.

Miranda records a dream she had about Baby Rachel, the imagined younger half-sister that her stepmother, Lisa, might have had with her father, Hal. Hal and Lisa left in search of Lisa’s parents out west while Miranda; her mother, Laura; her older brother, Matt; and her younger brother, Jon, stayed behind in Howell, Pennsylvania. In fact, Miranda does not know if Baby Rachel exists—the world is a dangerous place for a pregnant woman, not to mention a baby—or if the baby is, indeed, a girl. She is awakened by the sound of rain. This is unusual, as the environment has heretofore been too cold for rain; it has only snowed.

She does not want to wake the others, preferring instead to enjoy the rare moment of solitude. It rains again, during the daylight hours, and Mom spurs everyone into action, collecting rainwater for the household.