It is just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, news breaks that a series of nuclear warheads has been dropped along the Eastern Seaboard and, more locally, in California. As people begin coping with the devastating aftermath of the attacks -- many suffer radiation poisoning -- the Wetherly family tries to survive. Led by mom Carol (Jane Alexander), the clan tries to support each other even as they take in other stranded survivors.