Society is slowly rebuilding. Abby and Jenny are transporting supplies between settlements. Craig is learning how to run the steam engines on lines cleared by Greg Preston.
Once, Robert Malcolm had a complicated life. His wife in an institution, his girlfriend running a struggling business, he was out of the army and without a place in the world.
Peter Grant is alive. He is with Robert Malcolm's army of boy soldiers. Building a better future. But medic Ruth has her suspicions when she visits the camp. And Craig is about to find out what it takes to become a recruit.
Abby, still desperate for the reunion she's been seeking for years, now knows that Peter is part of an army. Meanwhile, Jenny realizes that someone is drawing plans against her budding Federation.