The United States is plunged into an authoritarian frenzy following a terrorist act that leaves lower Manhattan in ruin. James Woodward is a man of integrity with no interest in fanning flames, yet a single act of civil disobedience unravels his perfect life, and he is drawn to join the ever-growing mass of American refuges. He soon discovers he is far from alone in his exile. Risking assassination, he joins a group determined to prevent the United States from devolving into a totalitarian state. Outcasts in a dystopian nightmare, they are caught in a struggle between unknown benefactors determined to aid their cause and others determined to see their idealistic efforts destroyed. When a quiet protest ends in a bloodbath, the survivors turn to Jamess mysterious organization for support. With the help of hidden allies, they travel to Washington, D. C., where James and his friends seek peace but instead find a showdown in the shadow of the Washington Monument. Will the power of freedom save America, or will a paranoid government murder anyone who stands in its way?
