Generations after a near nuclear annihilation, America is a radiation-ravaged wasteland swarming with a thousand horrifically mutated life forms. Ryan Cawdor and his band of post-holocaust survivors barely excape a self-destructing redoubt in the new southwest and embark on a journey overland to find the nearest gateway. But without an adequate supply of food and water, their quest is doomed. Ryan strikes a deal with the leader of a wagon train heading west: protection against all attackers in exchange for food and water. It is a deal that pits the one-eyed warrior against his oldest enemy a sadistic, ruthless man who would stop at nothing to get his hands on Ryan Cawdor. In the Deathlands, everyone and everything is fair game, but only the strongest survive