Earth has been devastated by an enormous solarflare. Now a little group of survivors fights to rebuild civilization.

Citiesbecame ovens, grasslands seas of flame. As the contact of dawn sweptwestward over the rotating planet, its fiery finger killed everythingin its route. Glaciers in Switzerland started to melt; floodwaters poured down on burning up Alpine villages. Paris became a torch,then London. North of the Arctic Circle, Laplanders in their summer time furs burstinto fire as their reindeer collapsed and roasted around the smoking tundra.

Theline of dawn raced westward over the Atlantic, but as it did, sunlight dimmed seeing that quickly as it had flared.

TheAmericas escaped the sun’s wrath … nearly.