It's summer 2011 and much of the world is in the icy grasp of a seemingly endless winter. Unemployed web designer John Hanson is conscripted by the Health Service to report on how the people of a small Scottish town are coping with the worsening conditions: freezing temperatures, rising food prices and oil shortages. As infrastructure and government crumble, an illness spreads, taking civilization as we know it to the brink. Faced with this collapse, John is forced to reflect on his inability to confront and commit to life's challenges, and on whether now, in this perilous new world, he can change to protect the ones he loves.