Stacy Pallas, a young analyst at the CDC, is assigned to investigate subtle hints of a drop in new pregnancies. It leads her to an appalling discovery: the country's birthrate will soon drop to zero. Amid great secrecy, a government investigation identifies the cause. Pollution from so-called "forever chemicals" has combined with a long-dormant virus to block fertilization of human eggs - permanently and globally. A corrupt colleague of Stacy's sells this information to a private equity firm heavily invested in In Vitro Fertilization clinics, whose stores of frozen embryos and eggs stand to become enormously valuable. To protect their investment, they begin construction of a remote, secure storage site in Montana, guarded by local militia. But before it's complete, word of the impending disaster leaks to the media and civil chaos ensues. Fringe political and religious groups, aided by advanced AI, attract huge followings, and the fabric of civilization quickly unravels. Stacy and her companion, journalist Gavin Gray, get caught up in all the violence, fanaticism and anarchy, as they struggle to survive an epic confrontation that will determine humanity's ultimate fate.