In the 1940s United States, a radio broadcast announces that the federal government has been “suspended,” and all military forces are under the authority of state governments. Further, all hospitalizations in the Bay Area have been consigned to a single facility in Berkeley.

Isherwood Williams (“Ish”), a graduate student working on his geography thesis in the Sierra Nevada mountains, is bitten by a rattlesnake while rock climbing. Sucking the venom from the wound, he crafts a makeshift tourniquet and walks back to his cabin. With no means of communication, he is completely isolated. He decides to wait until the swelling subsides and then seek help. He sleeps, and when he awakens, two men are standing in his cabin. When he tells them he is sick, they flee, panic-stricken. Shortly thereafter, his condition worsens, and he fears he will die. He passes the night wracked with chills and fever.

The narrative digresses to a brief discourse on species fluctuation, describing how populations rise and fall but rarely remain steady. Humanity is no different, and, after millennia of population growth, it is due for a “reflux.”

The next morning, Ish feels better. He drives to the nearby general store but finds it empty.