Is maintaining the essential functions of the body enough to say one is alive? The answer provided by the novel may not comfort us. But it leaves us breathless with tension. Five young men spend a weekend in a mountain cabin. When they return to the valley, the towns are devastated. People are dead or have fled, the houses and shops have been looted, and the cars are burned out. They try to make their way back to their hometown on foot. They are alone. They are hungry. They function as best they can. During the day, they wander through the ravaged land, and at night, through their memories. In search of a reason to stay alive.