The apocalypse finds Alex drunk and living in Florida with her dead husband's father in his falling-down house. The most rewarding part of her day is wrestling eggs from feral Muscovy ducks and cooking fresh scrambles. The least rewarding part is consuming wine enough to drown a civilization-or at least the memory of one. When Alex meets the preacher, she needs help with a burial and the preacher needs a fresh pair of shoes. A bargain is struck. As they face the slow-moving apocalypse together, a spontaneous community forms and Alex learns that how they die is unimportant, but how they live means everything.