In the not-too-distant future, Arthur Leander, a famous
actor, suddenly collapses and dies on a Toronto stage in the final act of King
Lear.. That same night the deadly and highly contagious Georgian Flu reaches
North America from Russia. Within days, civilization, as we know it, collapses:
no electricity, no gasoline, no water, no travel, no Internet, no information,
no medicine, and no escape. A handful of survivors hide in their separate
lairs, until their resources are depleted and then they flee on foot, at first
alone, stealing and foraging for food, trusting no one, and learning to kill.
Surviving. The story takes place in Year 20 after the collapse with frequent
visits to the past.
Without realizing it, the protagonists are all connected to Arthur– his
ex-wives, young son, best friend, a child actor, the paramedic who tried to
resuscitate him at the theatre. Older people remember and mourn the “before
time” and its marvels that are lost, perhaps forever. In oppressive heat, a
troupe of musicians and actors, called the Traveling Symphony, moves from
place-to-place around the Great Lakes, performing music and Shakespeare’s plays
because “survival is insufficient.” Usually, they bring pleasure and diversion.
But they must take care, as some villages are led by cult-like prophets,
intent on control by theft, rape, and murder. Only at the end do they reach
Severn City, where a fledging community has created a semblance of peace and
respect in an abandoned airport with a museum devoted to all that is lost.
