In this profound ecological fable, a mysterious plague has destroyed the vast ma
jority of the human race. Isherwood Williams, one of the few survivors, returns
from a wilderness field trip to discover that civilization has vanished during h
is absence. Eventually he returns to San Francisco and encounters a female survi
vor who becomes his wife.
Around them and their children a small community de
velops, living like their pioneer ancestors, but rebuilding civilization is beyo
nd their resources, and gradually they return to a simpler way of life.
