On a spring day, almost two billion children disappear from the face of the earth while natural disasters rock the globe. Of the few who remain, most are ravaged with a plague that turns them into mindless, murderous beings. The Sleepers grow in numbers, massing together. They are deadly and more frightening–and they are starting to plan. Not only do the survivors have to face the deadly force beyond their fence–an even deadlier force lurks among them. As the battle begins, a new foe becomes a friend and a friend is now the enemy.